The Organisation internationale de la francophonie (OIF) has selected seven young Lebanese innovators to receive backing for their environment-friendly business ideas through its Cap innovation program.

The initiative called for projects in four areas: education & future-oriented skills; ecological transition; digital culture; and social transformation.

The projects picked range from urban eco-tourism to waste upcycling. One Called EcoRIde, by Rouba Houssami, proposes electric bikes for sustainable tourism and transport, aiming to create local jobs and promote greener mobility. Another winner, Marilyne al-Haddad, offered art workshops that convert waste into sellable materials blending environmental care with social empowerment and income generation.

“In collaboration with the Lebanese Ministry of Environment, the OIF is working with civil society to help it benefit from skills development in the fields covered by Cap Innovation,” said Nathalie Méjean Heineman, OIF representative for the Middle East and project coordinator for Cooperation, Media and Civil Society.

As part of the support, the winners received online training in business skills such as marketing, finance, communication and human resources. They also had to prepare pitch videos, business plans and initial steps toward forming a company.

Through this effort, OIF hopes to nurture young Lebanese entrepreneurs whose green and socially-conscious ventures could offer real solutions to environmental and economic challenges in Lebanon.