The Development for People and Nature Association (DPNA) is a Lebanese secular, non-profit, non-governmental organization working through a wide range of civil society organizations to meet the needs of local communities, especially the disadvantaged.  Our vision is to achieve a civic society that motivates all citizens in Lebanon to participate in public life and to lead positive change.

One of our organization’s main projects is called “Fostering Free Enterprise in Youth – FFEY”, which we have been implementing in partnership with CIPE since 2007.  Since that time, we have established a curriculum called “Entrance to Enterprise” (E2E), which is a knowledge guide aimed at introducing the concept of entrepreneurship not only to university students, but also to high-school students.  E2E trainings have been held for more than 300 students and 90 teachers throughout the past years, which led to the formation of an Alumni Network.  Most importantly, our current focus is to integrate the concept of entrepreneurship in the high-school curriculum through interactive activities. Continue reading ‘Advancing Entrepreneurship in Lebanon Beyond Global Entrepreneurship Week’ »

Originally posted by Brandon Nickerson on the CIPE Development Blog

This fall, I had the opportunity to attend the U.S. Egypt Business Council Luncheon honoring Entrepreneurship Scholars from the MENA Region at the US Chamber of Commerce. It was incredible to witness the level of optimism shared by these young entrepreneurs, and to hear firsthand from them on their ideas to promote job growth and encourage entrepreneurialism in their respective countries.

As I and several of my colleagues interviewed these young entrepreneurs about their thoughts on entrepreneurship and the barriers faced by young entrepreneurs in their countries, it was evident that many of them will go on to do great things.

Whether you describe it as the “enabling environment for entrepreneurship” or the “entrepreneurship ecosystem,” job growth across the region will remain sluggish unless reforms are made to the barriers and challenges facing young entrepreneurs. Whether your business idea is contingent upon outside financing or an entrepreneurship support program, without significant reforms made to the areas that affect starting a business — property rights, access to finance, bankruptcy laws, market exit, corruption — no amount of optimism will deliver on the promise of opportunity and dignity for the average citizen. Continue reading ‘An Entrepreneur Spring or Winter for the Arab World?’ »

Lebanon – CIPE Africa and Middle East Regional Director Abdulwahab Alkebsi and CIPE partner the Development for People and Nature Association (DPNA) met with Minister of Education and Higher Education Hassan Diab to introduce DPNA’s “Fostering Free Enterprise in Youth” entrepreneurship and civic education project. The Minister was enthusiastic about the project and ordered the formation of a committee including DPNA and governmental and civil society representatives to explore options for implementing the project nationwide. Alkebsi and DPNA also conducted a meeting with Layla Fayyad, president of the Center for Educational Research and Development (CERD), the entity responsible for the curriculum in Lebanese schools, to discuss implementation of the curriculum.

Ukraine – The director of a CIPE partner at the Kyiv-based International Institute of Business (IIB), Aleksandr Okunev, played a key role in drafting proposed changes to Ukraine’s law governing limited liability companies. The changes, adopted February 27 by the Ukrainian government’s Cabinet of Ministers, are now being forwarded to parliament for consideration. The amendments would eliminate inconsistencies in existing legislation on limited liability companies. In partnership with CIPE, IIB is implementing a NED-funded project to develop a voluntary code of corporate governance for family-owned businesses.

Continue reading ‘CIPE Entrepreneurship Update’ »

Which countries in the MENA region are doing the most to foster an entrepreneurial environment? By one measure, Lebanon and Jordan lead the way while Kuwait and Algeria are trailing. Some, such as Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, have made a start and need to scale up their efforts. As a whole, the region needs to improve regulatory frameworks, especially for new businesses, upgrade infrastructure, and expand public understanding of entrepreneurship.

The World Economic Reform’s 2011 report on Accelerating Entrepreneurship in the Arab World takes stock of these environmental factors Continue reading ‘Accelerating Entrepreneurship in the Arab World’ »

“There’s a spice blend used throughout the Middle East – za’atar– which is bold, assertive, and unique in flavor. As we witnessed over the last week in Lebanon, those same adjectives might be a way to describe Lebanese entrepreneurs and the flair with which Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is being celebrated here.”

Read about Global Entrepreneurship Week, Lebanon on CIPE Development Blog.

As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week in Tunisia, I attended the first session of an IACE forum on Tunisia’s youth and the education system which was well attended by an audience of at least 90% people under 25. 

Marketable skills were one of the major obstacles to youth employment discussed — business leaders on the panel said that, for all Tunisia has too many unemployed graduates, businesses find they can’t hire most of them because they lack vital soft skills. All too often they say they find candidates who have technical expertise, but lack presentation skills, do not work well on teams, and often cannot write well enough.

Continue reading ‘Observations on Youth and the Education System in Tunisia’ »

Here is the agenda.  Are you participating?

Share your Global Entrepreneurship Week news: partners@cipe.org

As the fourth annual Global Entrepreneurship Week is underway we would be remiss not to recognize Tarek Mohamed Bouazizi, the Tunisian entrepreneur whose frustration and self-immolation inspired protests throughout the Middle East.

Bouazizi was a produce vendor in the town of Sidi Bouzid, in central Tunisia, who at the age of 26, was the sole breadwinner for his family.  As the owner of a small business operating in the informal sector, he was subject to repeated police harassment, excessive fines, demands for bribes, and the confiscation of his goods and equipment.  Continue reading ‘Tarek Mohammed Bouazizi: Entrepreneur and Inspiration’ »

“We need more than a new ruler and a new regime…,” says an Egyptian technology entrepreneur, “Good business people create jobs and opportunity.” In this guest article on CIPE Development Blog, Elmira Bayrasli of the Peace Divident Trust argues that Egyptians must learn to distinguish between entrepreneurs and crony business and start supporting entrepreneurship.

Comment here or share a message with the Community of Young Entrepreneurs: partners@cipe.org

Despite the country’s slump in tourism and investment, numerous start-ups are showing vitality and optimism in Cairo and beyond. A group of educated, IT entrepreneurs participated in the Global Entrepreneurship Program‘s June boot camp. These entrepreneurs have developed websites and apps in areas like health care and transportation. At the camp, they developed their business plans and four teams won a chance to attend internships overseas. Also last January, the Global Entrepreneurship Program organized a business plan competition in conjunction with the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, the American University in Cairo, and Sawari Ventures.

Read about these entrepreneurs in the New York Times/International Herald Tribune (July 16):
“Arab Spring, Start-up Summer?”

Continue reading ‘Egypt’s Newest Technology Entrepreneurs’ »