DOHA: Small and Medium Enterprises Development Company ‘Enterprise Qatar’ (EQ) and Injaz Qatar are hosting activities to inspire a culture of entrepreneurship and business innovation among Qatar’s youth.
Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Injaz Qatar, EQ is funding high-school participation in Injaz Qatar’s Company Programme, which provides students with an opportunity to establish and run a real company. Injaz Qatar’s corporate volunteers, with business advisers from EQ, are providing mentoring to hundreds of students to develop business ideas, raising capital and producing a product or service.
On how its wide-ranging strategic partnership is transforming the entrepreneurial culture within Qatar’s youth, Ibrahim Al Mannai, Director, Learning and Development, EQ, said: “EQ promotes and supports prosperity of the small and medium enterprises sector in the country so we are thrilled to be supporting Injaz Qatar in nurturing our youth to hone skills as budding entrepreneurs and business leaders.
“Our constant support of this young talent pool will not only drive economic development for Qatar and further afield, but will also enable the sector to reach new heights.”
Last month, EQ and Injaz Qatar celebrated the success of the Young Entrepreneurs Trade Fair, during which teams from 15 Independent schools and universities sold their innovative products and services at City Center Mall, West Bay. The fair was an integral part of Injaz Qatar’s Annual Young Enterprise of the Year competition ‘Mubadara’, on May 10-11 at Qatar University Center for Entrepreneurship and Hamad Bin Khalifa University Student Center, respectively.
EQ was the strategic partner for the 2014 competition to help students set up and run a real organisation.
Students competed for awards in entrepreneurship, with the Best Marketing Plan Award and Best Young Entrepreneur Award also sponsored by EQ.
Student companies at Mubadara were judged by a panel of judges, including Al Mannai and Jassim Al Baker, Head of Development. Following Mubadara, EQ will support Injaz’s Start-Up Programme, a platform to launch innovative entrepreneurial team ventures. The Boeing-sponsored programme offers selected teams of four to six members seed funding, 20 hours of professional mentoring and incubation over two years offered by Qatar Business Incubation Centre to help viable enterprises grow and contribute to Qatar’s economic development.
The Peninsula
