Doha: An analysis by Palestine for a New Beginning (PNB) and regional social initiative Silatech have produced an interactive map to enable more interaction between entrepreneurs and support organisations and policymakers.
Available at www.palestinemap.info, Silatech website, and www.Ta3mal.ps, the ecosystem map presents the relationship between over 100 entrepreneurship-related organisations and entities involved in finance, education, government, media, the private sector, donor institutions and civil society.
The map provides a short description of each organisation, links to its website and information about where each organisation operates and where appropriate, which economic sector(s) it targets.
Palestine suffers the highest unemployment rate in the region, at 23 percent.
The youth unemployment rate tops 38 percent, higher than the Arab world’s average of 30.
The Arab world has the highest youth unemployment of any region.
Zahi Khouri, Chairman, PNB, said: “When PNB decided to begin working in entrepreneurship, we discovered a busy space, yet very few successes. We decided to work on the map to better understand the ecosystem and learn and decide where we could play a strong role as representative of the private sector and civil society.
“We have focused on showcasing Palestine’s successes through Celebration of Innovation and bringing different players together through Global Entrepreneurship Week.
“Our board also launched Ibtikar Fund, which closes a funding gap between seed and VC investment. We hope the map helps organisations developing new support programmes understand where gaps remain.”
Rula Shunnar, Silatech Country Representative for Palestine and Jordan, said: “A lack of accurate information often prevents entrepreneurs from getting the support they need; we believe the map will provide a useful tool to help strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem, and look forward to working with PNB to continue supporting the Palestinian people, especially Palestinian youth.”
Holding that helping new businesses to start and grow is essential for creating jobs, Silatech works with over 100 partners in the Arab world to provide entrepreneurship and employment opportunities for young people.
Since 2008, it has enabled over 90,000 youth-run businesses to start and grow, supporting more than 140,000 youth jobs.
In Palestine, Silatech partners with organisations to support Palestinian youth in areas such as access to microfinance, employability resources and job openings through Ta3mal.ps, career guidance, civic engagement and leadership training.
PNB is an alliance of public and private sector institutions and individuals to leverage resources and experiences by investing in new, innovative projects and building on existing successful initiatives.
The Peninsula
