Qatar youth urged to focus on business and entrepreneurship

Despite the “very low to non-existent” unemployment rate in Qatar, authorities are still encouraging young Qataris to establish their own business to help diversify the economy, an official of Injaz Qatar said.

Citing 2014 statistics from the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics (MDPS), Injaz Qatar executive director Emad al-Khaja said Qatar’s unemployment rate is at 0.2%, which he described as “very low.”
In contrast, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said the youth unemployment rate in 2013 rose to 27.5 % in North Africa and 27.6% in the Middle East.

“Considering that the unemployment rate is very low to non-existent in Qatar, authorities still encourage young Qataris to establish their own business and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in hopes of diversifying the economy of Qatar, and developing business and leadership skills for the youth,” al-Khaja told Gulf Times.
He said some of Injaz’s initiatives are programmes that focus on entrepreneurship, including a competition conducted internationally across all Injaz offices worldwide where students establish and simulate a real company with real products.

“At Injaz Qatar, the winners of this competition will have the opportunity to be incubated at the Qatar Business Incubation Centre (QBIC), and launch their businesses as part of ‘The Startup’ initiative,” al-Khaja explained.
Asked what types of businesses would appeal to the Qatari youth, al-Khaja said Injaz Qatar encourages students “to follow their passions when it comes to starting their own businesses.”

“We help educate the youth about entrepreneurship and put them on the right track. Many students establish their businesses as part of Injaz’ young entrepreneurship competition,” he said.

Injaz Al-Arab president and CEO Akef al-Aqrabawi said despite the growing youth unemployment rate in the region, many young Arabs are keen on establishing their own businesses.

“According to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Arab world must create 80mn to 100mn jobs by 2020 to tackle the current unemployment rate. Students have two options when they graduate: to find employment in a company or to employ themselves. Otherwise, they will be jobless,” al-Aqrabawi explained.

He added: “Injaz aims at teaching students the skills they need to become entrepreneurs. There is a dire need in the region for a well-informed youth, a generation fully aware of its potential and the business prospects that it could tap into.”

Aside from business skills and life experiences, al-Aqrabawi said it is time for the Arab youth to understand economic environments, the growth of industries in the region, employment trends and opportunities, business incubators, and the importance of sustaining their start-ups.

“We need to continue to nourish the entrepreneurial spirit of our youth, and most importantly, sustain it by engaging the private sector as we continue to work together towards building our entrepreneurial Arabia,” he said.GULF TIMES