Najat Al Abdullah (left), Director of the Department of Family Affairs at the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs
Encouraged by host of public initiatives towards supporting SMEs and other private sector businesses, the home-based micro-enterprises, including those run by female entrepreneurs, are ramping-up their scale of production to play a major role in Qatar’s efforts towards achieving self-sufficiency and economic diversification.
The ongoing siege against Qatar is the major driving force that has prompted the small businesses, especially the women entrepreneurs, to come forward and contribute to the local economy in a big way to express solidarity and silent protest against the illegal blockade. The economic activities they were engaged with as part of their hobbies have now become profession.
“When it comes to the participation or contribution of women in the national economy, the situation has changed significantly. The home-based enterprises and self-employed firms, including those run by women, are transforming in a big way. Earlier they used to produce goods as their hobbies, but now it is becoming their passion to serve the nation. They are doing it in a more aggressive way in bigger scales taking the current situation as a challenge,” said Najat Al Abdullah, Director of the Department of Family Affairs at the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs.
Al Abdullah, talking to The Peninsula, added that home-based producers are doing it more seriously than any time in the past, and within six months more products in larger quantities are expected to hit the market. “They want to reinforce their role by enhancing their contribution to the society.”
Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al Khalifa, CEO of QDB.
She said that in addition to partnering with Al Meera, several dedicated outlets have also been set up in different markets, including Souq Al Wakra, Souq Waqif. And in the coming days more outlets are expected to be opened in other parts of the country such as Al Khor and other regions.
To support and encourage “productive” families the Ministry also offers incentives and awards. It also organises exhibitions and providing a permanent market to showcase their products.
She said that the Ministry is working in close cooperation with other concerned government and private entities, including Qatar Development Bank (QDB), Qatar Chamber, to ensure all needful support to small and micro-enterprises.
Commenting on the role of small businesses and female entrepreneurs, Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al Khalifa, CEO of QDB said that women are increasingly taking keen interest in contributing to the national economy.
“We at QDB have noticed that majority of the new projects, especially the food & beverages, garments and fashion segments, are done by our female counterparts. They have great entrepreneurial skills and doing very well,” Abdulaziz told this newspaper on the sidelines of an event recently.
Abdulaziz added: “If you look at the Qatar Business Incubation Centre, you will find that majority of the new applicants are female gender which reflects that there is a huge growth in the number of female entrepreneurs. This is something that we all are very proud of. We at QDB are providing all the possible support to help them establish and grow.”
He said that to provide them with market access, QDB has partnered with Al Meera group (retail chain) to display home-made products.
In addition, the state-backed development agency has also taken a special initiative within its Export Development Agency (Tarsheed) to provide easy market access to home-based products within Qatar and beyond.
In 2015, QDB launched an initiative ‘Home-based Business National Program’ (HBBNP) to encourage and support small family businesses in the country. A similar exhibition for the home-based products is scheduled to open tomorrow at Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, which will conclude on October 5.
