Jean Louis CARDAHI is a Lebanese engineer, politician and businessman. He was born on the 30th of July of 1962 in Jbeil located in Mount Lebanon Governorate. He is married to Mrs. Gouzine Ozaydine and they have two children; Louis and Lara.

He completed his secondary education at the Marist Brothers School. He pursued his higher education at the Federal Polytechnic University of Lausanne in Switzerland (EPFL) and obtained his degree in 1986. He started his working life as manager in France where he managed several French companies.

Even when abroad, Jean Louis CARDAHI never stopped being involved in the Lebanese public interest; he inherited his political status and patriotism from his family, in particular from his father the engineer Louis CARDAHI, who was one of the founders of the Byblos Solidarity movement. He was known for his high social, cultural and political rank in Jbeil.

After his father’s death in 1992, Jean-Louis CARDAHI decided to come back to Lebanon and continue his professional career.
He took over the management of Louis Cardahi Engineering and Contracting Company, which carried out a number of huge construction projects, and in 1993, he was elected as member of the board of directors of The Lebanese Contractors Syndicate of Public Works and Buildings (SLETP).
In recognition of Byblos position and its archaeological and cultural image, Jean-Louis and in cooperation with his family, collected in 1992, historical artifacts that tell the history of this civilized city from all over the world. He was able to get original copies in particular from The Louvre Museum in France in order to establish a cultural foundation that does not seek any material profit, memorialized the late Louis Cardahi, who dedicated his life to the success of Byblos, the city he loved. Cardahi was active in the city, co-founding the Cultural Council of the Jbeil Region, and initiating and financing the first secondary school in Byblos as well as launching development plans, construction and rehabilitation works. In 1995, the institution was inaugurated, and its tall buildings rose in the historic city to archive the history of Lebanon from the city of Jbeil – Byblos, the cradle of civilizations.
In 2013, the Foundation was awarded to the Lebanese American University, the Cardahi family entrusted the foundation to LAU, knowing that it would continue the work started by Louis Cardahi. LAU is committed to carrying the torch of knowledge and is able to complete the cultural work of the institution in line with the family’s will.

Jean Louis CARDAHI adopted an open approach and a moderate path. He didn’t aim to be under the spotlight, but he was always present among Jbeil’s residents. In 1992, he was elected as the president of Jbeil Municipality, to be granted later the title of president of the Jbeil Municipal Union in 1999.
Jean Louis CARDAHI has a determined vision for the city of Byblos and he has sought to achieve it throughout his municipal work. He planned for a civilized environment and drew architectural designs to guide and develop the facilities, infrastructure and entrances to the city, to provide a better life for Byblos citizens. He encouraged the cultural and environmental tourism in the city and district of Jbeil. He established many public institutions that tackle cultural and social issues, among them The International Center for the Human Sciences in 1999 that has been followed by the expansion of pedestrians’ zones and the establishment of the UNESCO square at the entrance of the city center. In the following year, Jbeil was picked as one of the seven peace-cities worldwide. Being the birthplace of the alphabet, Jbeil also has historical cultural significance.

In cooperation with the World Bank, CARDAHI launched the Cultural Heritage Program to activate tourism and the economic wheel. He also supported the Byblos Festival Committee and re-established its structure to launch the torch of an artistic life in the hidden corners of the Old City.

Jean Louis CARDAHI was appointed as Minister of Telecommunications for three consecutive rounds, from October 2000 until April 2005. During this period, CARDAHI was the opposing voice to the prevailing revenue-generating economic Policies. He implemented the Telecommunications Law to liberalize and organize the sector, and he developed the mobile and landline networks in order to improve the quality of services in all Lebanese regions, believing in improvement and balanced development;
His Excellency the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri, said that he is the Minister who never distinguished between his hometown Jbeil, and Bint-Jbeil the village located in Southern Lebanon.

Minister CARDAHI worked on major reforms in the sector, he changed it from a fiscal sector into a productive sector par excellence, and thus, he recorded a significant increase in revenues and transfers to the State Treasury, by adhering to the enforcement of laws and fighting corruption. To preserve the resources of the State and people’s benefits, he had to stop some politicians from interfering in this sector.
He was awarded the National Order of the Cedar at the rank of Commander.
Forty-four days before the parliamentary elections in 2018, Jean-Louis CARDAHI launched the National Solidarity Movement, a courageous initiative to launch a communicative approach facing the regression of the political discourse in the regions of Jbeil and Kesrouan, which have always rejected the extremism and were a model of coexistence.
In its charter, the movement refuses to divide the society according to its religious or sectarian belief, it rather adheres to the pluralistic society and the coexistence that guarantees the stability of the country and its positive repercussions on the economic level. The movement also opposes the existing rent-based economic system in Lebanon since the National Reconciliation Accord (Taif Agreement), which failed to secure the well-being and decent living of the citizen.

In order to consolidate the principles of the National Solidarity Movement, the former Minister Jean Louis CARDAHI ran the parliamentary elections on the 6th of May of 2018, announced electoral lists of independents candidates for the electoral district of Kesrouan- Jbeil, that included a Shiite candidate representing the second Shiite, but unfortunately, this list did not succeed.
Jean Louis CARDAHI plays an active role in the social life and development sector. He was one of the founders of the Byblos Sports Club in 1981. He is currently the president of the “Friends of Byblos” association and a member in the Maronite League, the Cultural Council of Byblos, the Lebanese Cooperation for Development and the Association of the Knights of the Order of Malta, which is considered one of the oldest noble orders in the world, and which support the Christian presence in the holy lands.