Accomplished entrepreneur Jamal Daniel is the chairman of Crest Investment Company, an investment firm focused on industries from oil and gas to manufacturing. A resident of Houston, Jamal Daniel is the founder of the New Levant Initiative.
The New Levant Initiative supports many projects and institutions that seek to educate the public on the Levant, a region encompassing the Middle East and North Africa. In 2019, the organization partnered with the RAND Corporation to develop a report on the benefits of economically integrating the entire Levant region.
According to the report, economic integration in the region would yield an estimated 3-7 percent annual increase in its gross domestic product as well as create up to 1.7 million jobs, reducing unemployment by 18 percent. The report’s estimates are conservative, given that they only consider a free-trade agreement between six core countries: Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, and Syria. This means the economic benefits of complete regional integration could be much higher.
While there has been a push for integration among the region’s countries as evidenced by the bilateral and trilateral agreements already signed between some countries, political turmoil has inhibited integration efforts. The report recommended more expansive dialogue on regional engagement and building on the cooperation currently ongoing.
The New Levant Initiative supports many projects and institutions that seek to educate the public on the Levant, a region encompassing the Middle East and North Africa. In 2019, the organization partnered with the RAND Corporation to develop a report on the benefits of economically integrating the entire Levant region.
According to the report, economic integration in the region would yield an estimated 3-7 percent annual increase in its gross domestic product as well as create up to 1.7 million jobs, reducing unemployment by 18 percent. The report’s estimates are conservative, given that they only consider a free-trade agreement between six core countries: Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, and Syria. This means the economic benefits of complete regional integration could be much higher.
While there has been a push for integration among the region’s countries as evidenced by the bilateral and trilateral agreements already signed between some countries, political turmoil has inhibited integration efforts. The report recommended more expansive dialogue on regional engagement and building on the cooperation currently ongoing.