The Entrepreneurship Forum for Digital Transport kicked off in Damascus on Tuesday, October 7, aiming to enhance digital transformation in the transport sector and foster cooperation between the government and private companies.

During the forum, attended by Enab Baladi, 132 entrepreneurial projects were showcased, including seven transport-related initiatives announced by Minister of Transport Yarub Badr in his opening speech.

Khaled al-Kisheh, director of the Freight Transport Regulation Directorate at the Ministry of Transport, told Enab Baladi that this is the first such forum organized by the ministry.
He explained that the event seeks to connect entrepreneurial companies with the ministry to launch an electronic platform for freight transport in Syria, ensuring fair job opportunities and preventing monopolies. The platform will also help track import and export movements, enhance road safety by installing monitoring devices on trucks and vehicles nationwide, and improve overall logistics management.

Al-Kisheh added that the forum enables the ministry to identify potential partners and will be followed by workshops bringing together the ministry and participating companies. He also mentioned a strategic plan to provide extensive facilities to companies wishing to operate in Syria “without imposing restrictive or complicated conditions.”

Supporting Smart Transport

Thaer Fallaha, a representative of Move, the company organizing the forum, said the event focuses on smart and digital transport, bringing together leading transport technology firms such as Mofo, Yalla Go, Etfaddal, and Zaken.
Its main goal, he noted, was to create direct dialogue between public and private sectors while highlighting inspiring success stories on the sidelines of the forum.

Fallaha added that the forum included a startup competition with seven participating teams, three of which will be awarded at the closing session. He emphasized that this first edition would pave the way for future ones, supporting transport sector growth through collaboration between the Ministries of Transport and Communications on one hand, and the private sector on the other.

He noted that the Ministry of Transport is providing logistical, technical, and legal support to private companies to help raise the quality of transport services and develop marketing strategies.

Hussein al-Hajj Abdullah, government communications officer at the ministry, said about 17 companies from Saudi Arabia and Lebanon participated alongside several local firms. He added that around 50 project proposals were presented during the event, with seven approved by the organizing committee. These, he said, will be adopted by the ministry to enhance its performance in the coming phase.

Digitalization in Transport

Architect Mohib Qaswat, a member of the Engineers’ Association in Turkey, told Enab Baladi that integrating digital automation into government departments, particularly transport, will reduce bureaucracy, streamline operations, and resolve chronic administrative bottlenecks.

Qaswat explained that the association submitted to the Ministry of Transport an integrated environmental, logistical, and economic planning proposal for Damascus to alleviate traffic congestion, improve infrastructure, and make the capital more globally competitive.

Cooperation for Digital Transition

In July, Syria’s Ministry of Transport signed a memorandum of understanding with the Arab Federation for Internet and Communications to strengthen cooperation in digital transformation and develop the road freight system through advanced technological solutions.

The agreement was signed during a workshop organized by the Federation under the ministry’s sponsorship to explore how digital transformation and artificial intelligence could improve road freight management in Syria.

Minister Yarub Badr told Enab Baladi after signing the MoU that it marks the start of a series of technical support activities to help the ministry adopt digital and AI tools to simplify passenger and freight transport services across Syrian cities.

According to the minister, once the agreement is implemented, it will facilitate annual vehicle registration, clearance certificates for freight vehicles, driver training school bookings, and online reservations for buses and trains.

Ministry of Transport Moves Toward Digital Transformation to Streamline Its Services