Date: April 25, 2016
Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (Zubair SEC) participated in the 12th Annual Meeting of the International Network for Small and Medium Enterprises (INSME) which was held in Doha-Qatar this month under the patronage of HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Prime Minister of Qatar, represented by HE Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al-Thani, Minister of Economy and Commerce.
The meeting held over three days on the topic “Enabling Smart SMEs as Key to Success” provided a platform to “increase knowledge sharing among innovation leaders, discuss findings from others’ experiences and identify the right talents, partners, clients, sponsors and investors for future business activities and favourable public governance”.
Ali Shaker, Business Advisor at Zubair SEC, moderated the roundtable discussion on women empowerment titled “The Twelve-Trillion-Dollar Opportunity: More Women Entrepreneurs = Smarter Economy?”
The dialogue deliberated on how women entrepreneurs play a vital role in an entrepreneurial economy. Speakers stressed on the need to enhance efforts to understand how women’s entrepreneurship can affect economic growth and development in a positive way. Opportunities and challenges facing women in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA), especially in the entrepreneurial domain were also debated.
Speakers at the roundtable talked about the huge opportunities available at micro and macroeconomic levels for women at work. They also conferred about the World Bank prediction which says that at the present rate it would take 150 years for MENA countries to reach the current world average for women’s penetration into the work force. They agreed that serious development plans need to be put in place, particularly in the area of women-led entrepreneurship. The panellists also elaborated on how MENA culture, social and historical outlooks may constitute a unique opportunity for women to leapfrog economically into a new position of productivity and growth potential.
Speaking on the importance of sharing knowledge and insight among countries, Ali Shaker said, “Knowledge gained at such meetings can be used for innovation and development. SME-supporting-organisations need to exploit the information gathered at the different sessions during the INSME meeting which reflected on numerous topics such as the need to create ecosystems to support SME innovation and smart growth. There was much to learn and share.”
Zubair SEC, a strategic social responsibility initiative by The Zubair Corporation is a member of INSME since 2013. Zubair SEC’s membership at INSME aligns with the centre’s strategy to exchange experiences with regional and international SME-supporting initiatives and entrepreneurs. Zubair SEC has been sharing success stories and promoting entrepreneurial accomplishments of its members through the INSME international network.
INSME is a legally recognised and not-for-profit association established since 2004 in Rome, Italy with the aim to strengthen international cooperation, exchange of know-how, best practice approaches and expertise in innovation and technology transfer among economic players and intermediaries worldwide. The network comprises at present 84 members in 37 countries in four continents including governmental bodies, international organisations, business support intermediaries and their associations/networks at sub-national, national, regional and international level.