Qatar Economic Forum… Entrepreneurship in Qatar… Continuous support and an influential role

Entrepreneurship enjoys continuous support from the State of Qatar, as it is considered critical to the development of Qatari society and the achievement of diversification and sustainability of the economy, in addition to playing an influential role in the comprehensive and sustainable economic growth of the State of Qatar, and it is a source of many innovative solutions that support information and communication technology, and has a direct impact It affects the national economy, and at the same time is an essential source for the growth of new jobs.
In this regard, Mr. Youssef Al-Salihi, Executive Director of Qatar Science and Technology Park, stressed in an exclusive statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) the importance of the policies and plans adopted by the State of Qatar, aimed at expanding the scope of supporting and encouraging entrepreneurship in the local arena, because of its role It is prominent in advancing and improving the performance of the small and medium enterprises sector, which has recently achieved remarkable progress, enhancing its contribution to supporting the national economy, and providing it with ingredients that enhance its rapid growth at various levels.
Al-Salihi pointed out that Qatar Science and Technology Park today hosts approximately 26 emerging companies operating in various technological fields, indicating that regional startups have begun to take on a wide space at the level of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, represented by entering new Asian markets.
The Executive Director of Qatar Science and Technology Park described the Gulf-Asian economic relations as having a dual impact, as the shift in global capital after the end of the Corona pandemic (Covid-19) led to the emergence of an environment in which many startups and successful small and medium-sized companies in the ASEAN region are looking to expand in New areas full of opportunities, ie in the Gulf region.
Al-Salihi commented on the growing global importance of the economic interdependence between the Gulf region, India and Southeast Asia, saying: “It is no secret that the economies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have been among the driving forces for innovation over the past fifteen years.”
He added, “The strength of bilateral opportunities not only provides ways to expand the scope of business, but also provides new ways to strengthen supply chains and establish new manufacturing centers, and since some countries, such as the State of Qatar, are taking the lead in energy transition efforts, new industries have emerged, and the economy is enjoying The countries of the South are well positioned to capture these industries.”
The State of Qatar has adopted strategic plans to strengthen the entrepreneurship community and encourage its integration into a competitive national business climate. Thus, a number of small and medium-sized companies were able to achieve rapid growth in their productivity, and a number of these companies proved their ability to maintain balance in the local business environment and continue to grow and build opportunities. Work, but some of them began to register their presence in foreign markets after heading to export, and became competitive regionally and internationally in a number of industrial and consumer sectors.
Many institutions, public and private, are working to create a work environment that supports young people and motivates them to direct their innovation and creativity towards building a sustainable society by transforming business ideas into successful economic establishments. These institutions focus on encouraging creative thinking among young people and transforming their ideas and perceptions into viable projects. .
The initiatives are designed to provide the support and skills needed to help young people nurture and support their ideas and contribute to economic diversification through the growth of the private sector.
Qatar focuses on creating an appropriate regulatory environment that supports the local business sector, and the Qatari government has pursued many policies and structural reforms to help stimulate the economy, the most important of which are initiatives to improve the investment environment, strategies to encourage local manufacturing industries to achieve self-sufficiency and food security, expand airlines and shipping lines, and operate Hamad Port, Allowing citizens of many countries to enter Qatar without a visa, as well as adopting policies to strengthen relations with import and export partners in Qatar, in addition to taking measures to achieve macroeconomic stability, and implementing government investments in infrastructure and social services, especially in the education and health sectors.
Qatar is also working to enable the private sector to play a fundamental role in achieving sustainable development. It has supported the efforts of Emiratisation in the country through public procurement policies, incubating and accelerating projects of entrepreneurs and local small and medium-sized companies through Qatar Business Incubation Center, Qatar Science and Technology Park, Digital Business Incubator, Nama Center and others. of institutions.
Qatar Development Bank also played an important role in empowering pioneers and encouraging small and medium businesses and enterprises. Where he launched a set of initiatives and programs, and adopted unique business models based on innovation, employing best practices and modern technologies to support operations, in addition to the model factory, which was launched by Qatar Development Bank, in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in the year 2021, where To date, the factory has helped several companies achieve their ambitions, in enhancing their productivity and improving their operational levels. The first batch of trainees of the Learning and Transformation Program included 7 companies, while the Kaizen Journey Program witnessed the participation of 5 companies, so that the companies that completed the program in 2021 achieved positive results. Together, they succeeded in advancing the pace of production and achieving revenues amounting to 44 million riyals.
In 2022, 10 companies participated in the various programs of the factory, and all of them achieved remarkable operational successes by raising their production efficiency, as the revenues of all these companies are estimated at 33 million, in addition to the long-term impact, especially in the sustainability of the business and making it more streamlined in the long term.
It also contributed to the assessment of the readiness of companies for digital transformation for more than 10 companies at the technical level, the mechanism and methods of work, as well as the administrative structure, and the readiness of human resources for digital transformation, which will cast a shadow over all aspects of the companies’ work and motivate them to raise their levels of productivity, and open new horizons for them in national and international market.
Since the beginning of this year (2023), the factory has held several programs, training workshops, bilateral meetings and development field visits to achieve these goals, and 5 small and medium companies have benefited from the transformation and learning program to raise their productivity to date.
It is considered the first center for developing industrial capabilities in Qatar and the region, as it follows the best procedures and processes in enabling small and medium industrial companies, thus becoming an integrated training center for companies in their journey to develop their business, whether by improving their strengths or working to address any operational challenges they face, by adopting the best Global manufacturing practices in its fields of work to ensure a smooth and sustainable operation process, reduce waste of all kinds, reduce costs, and raise the level of productivity to unprecedented levels.
The factory hopes, through its continuous endeavors, to raise the level of services it provides to develop its facilities using the best technologies in line with modern industrial and technological practices, to be the first technological industrial center for capacity development in Qatar and the region in cooperation with the best international partners in this field, in order to achieve a distinguished industrial experience. For small and medium-sized companies that benefit by adopting various digital solutions in their journey to develop their business.
Qatar has also sought, through the National Development Strategy, to remove obstacles to private sector participation by improving the business climate, simplifying government procedures, and eliminating deficiencies in the business environment.
The country’s efforts have contributed to improving the country’s position in the global “Doing Business” ranking issued by the World Bank, benefiting local and international investors. Qatar ranked third in the entrepreneurial environment index in the Middle East and North Africa region, and performed well in All axes of the entrepreneurial framework. Recent economic reforms in the field of labor laws, privatization, special economic zones, and raising the ceiling of foreign ownership to 100 percent in some projects contributed to facilitating investment and work in the country and stimulating entrepreneurial activity.
The latest reports of the Global Monitor refer to entrepreneurial activity in the early stages, and reflect a significant improvement in recent years, as the State of Qatar was able to jump 37 ranks in a short period of time from the 50th place in the world in 2016 to the 13th place in 2020, as the index value increased from 14.7 percent in 2019 to 17.2 percent in 2020.
The report measures the level of entrepreneurship among employees who participated as employees in developing or launching new goods or services or establishing branches or business units within the institutions in which they work. .
At the level of the sub-axes of the Entrepreneurial Environment Index, the State of Qatar ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa and fourth in the world in the best supportive government policies related to taxes and bureaucratic procedures.
As for the development of entrepreneurial capabilities and skills, the State of Qatar ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa and fifth in the world in entrepreneurship education and training at university and vocational levels, in cooperation with supporting institutions and universities.