DOHA: Students from 13 countries across the MENA region will compete for the ‘Best Student Company of the Year Award’ at the sixth annual Injaz Al Arab Young Arab Entrepreneurs Competition from November 4 to 6 in Doha.
Judging criteria for the competition held under the patronage of Qatar Foundation includes a review of financial and management reports created by the students on the real life challenges of running a business in addition to a presentation on their product innovation.
Apart from the highly coveted Best Company of the Year award sponsored by ExxonMobil, other awards include the 2012 Barwa Bank Award for Best Marketing Plan, the 2012 Nasser Bin Khaled Award for Company with the Best Social Impact, the 2012 HSBC Award for Most Innovative Product, and the 2012 FedEx Access Award.
“The competition acts as a forum through which students can gain an understanding of the real-life processes for establishing a business in a safe environment. At each stage we seek to build their confidence to become future entrepreneurs who have the potential to be a driving force in their local economies. We believe in the boundless potential of Arab youth and this competition shows us just how much talent there is. Our job - the private sector, educators and the government - is to help them unleash it,” said Soraya Salti, Injaz Al Arab Regional Director.
Earlier this year, each of the contending countries held their own individual National Company Programme Competition where students spent four months training on entrepreneurship, financial literacy and work readiness.
The winning team from each country will now represent their nation in Qatar. Teams will be represented from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, UAE, and Yemen.
“Qatar Foundation is dedicated to promoting education and development through partnership. The Injaz Al Arab Young Arab Entrepreneurs Competition offers an unusual opportunity for young Arab people to collaborate with each other and with professional businesspeople in order to improve their entrepreneurial skills while learning about the cultures and markets of their region,” said Sheikh Abdulla bin Ali Al Thani, PhD, President of Hamad bin Khalifa University and Vice President, Education, Qatar Foundation.
Established in 2007, Injaz Al Arab Young Arab Entrepreneurs Competition is recognised as the region’s leading entrepreneurship competition for Arab youth. Since its inception, the annual event has been hosted by various Injaz Al Arab member nations including Oman, Lebanon, Morocco and Jordan. The Peninsula
