/WamdaME Photo: www.facebook.com
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FADI GHANDOUR is the Exfounder of Aramex, a Fed the in y pan com cs isti log like Middle East, Africa and , South Asia. Three years ago as Ghandour stepped away Aramex CEO to become vice-chairman, and now spends much of his time helping entrepreneurs. He is currently Executive ital. Chairman of Wamda Cap
ives are critical for support them. Such initiat ly ent rec repreneurship in As an example, Wamda has spurring a culture of ent al ner Ge h ip wit vernments have a Building communities nascent ecosystems. Go entered into a partnersh to y site nit cro mu mi a com s, rting a’s ker On another front, Wamd vital role to play in suppo Electric to create MEMa l tica cri g ent kin fer ma dif they must ensure are er o so eth programme brings tog entrepreneurs and to do feature entrepreneurs wh the d ed un anc aro risk and ps adv s’ ces rtu ion sta bra players working with that a culture that em changes within the reg N’ x Mi nt, eve well in their ure and e nat s. sig rie aliv is region. Through its experimentation technological indust ing see dialogue ip, we are Through this partnersh Mentor, the team catalyzes countries. promising st mo the envelope, not is the recently ’s ng ion shi reg pu NA are o ME ies wh pan On a higher level, there between the com and g ors pin est hel in inv a fund that invests ding t also young startups and its lea launched Wamda Capital, simply in creating jobs bu te mo pro to s technology and gie business professionals. in early and growth-stage them access new technolo the to ut n gho ma ou Am , ies in the thr iro ent pan From Casablanca to Ca technology-enabled com more equitable developm so has a g md y on Jordan, Wa atin , inl cre bai ma ’re Du Kuwait, and Beirut to MENA region; focusing region. Additionally, we ’s , ion nts reg eve operation r NA Co nto lf ME Me Gu the N’ the x ypt, Lebanon and far organized 25 Mi Eg relationships between to s is to help GE employee ees and 300 hosting over 1,500 attend Council countries. The aim leading entrepreneurs and in k ma loc e un Th of the le rs. and ge tac nto obs han me jor exc bal ge ma regional and glo overcome the foster knowled of e ments for the tur est cul a inv e ild tur bu p ven hel of mission is to insufficiency resources. g h rtin o want to grow ng wit suppo When it comes to worki mentorship critical for region’s entrepreneurs wh t jec . up pro a leit, sca wa to ive ilt Nu es. entrepreneurs as they str and scale their business governments, Wamda bu and assess the SME Development for nd Fu nal tio Na the Furthermore, to analyze with dwork for the s, the Wamda ecosystem development Making the difference in Kuwait to lay the groun and s die stu t ou s p ecosystem. youth in the MENA rie shi car ) eur y’s entrepren ntr Research Lab (WRL Today, we are witnessing cou ’s p begin the of the region emakers and Projects such as these hel projects on different facets region turning into chang g din a goal to lea h y’s wit ntr king the tem ma cou sys a are o eco o wh p wh s shi on entrepreneur entrepreneur conversations y are the adership in y t-le ieties into market wh , soc ugh are n ly tho ow ir ual and a act the s of dat create new challenges entrepreneur to the w m gro fro can ts s tem insigh are making a real this space. Findings and opportunities, and they important and how ecosys the p kee p hel L rk with, empower WR reports produced by the difference. Unless we wo the on eed -sp be missing the l Wamda community up-to and enable them, we wil ng nci lue inf o the youth ges int g main trends and challen opportunity of tappin the in ent s to sociopm ver elo dri dev entrepreneurship resource as potential man hu y iall E daM ent /Wam MENA region. economic and ess Photo: www.facebook.com ing ng . bri rld on wo ng b rki Ara wo the o in als Wamda is development t is sharing into the s tha n ion tio rat po titu cor ins e and on is nts Wamda governme ese Th n. atio th you to develop p equ region’s entrepreneurshi the responsibility with the p shi eur ren rep for all by building a players’ importance to ent a better inclusive future be t no can ion reg reneurial NA rep development in the ME healthy and capable ent can ent em a bedrock for olv as inv ve ir understated and the ecosystem that can ser powerment. em and . e ms ng come in many for development, cha
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