The École Supérieure des Affaires (ESA; Arabic: المعهد العالي للأعمال‎) is a Beirut-based higher education establishment. It is the only Grande Ecole for business in the Middle East region. The ESA was founded in 1996 by the French and Lebanese governments, as a joint cooperation between the Paris Chamber of Commerce (Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie de Paris) and the Bank of Lebanon. ESA is managed by the Paris Chamber of Commerce and is an associated center of the École supérieure de commerce de Paris–École européenne des affaires (ESCP-EAP), a top ranking international business school; it offers a variety of specialized business and management degrees. The medium of teaching is French. The concept of creating a Lebanon-based Grande Ecole for business that follows the French model was proposed, promoted, and lobbied at the Paris Chamber of Commerce by the Lebanese scholar Fayek Abillama who was also the president of the HEC alumni in Lebanon. A partnership was established between the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bank of Lebanon and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Paris to provide Lebanon with a higher education establishment for international business.