In the context of high rates of unemployment among young people in the Arab Mediterranean countries, along with the shrinking demand in the public sector, high-potential growth companies (start-ups) and entrepreneurship have increasingly been promoted as a means to drive job creation and generate value in these economies. During the past five years, an ecosystem has emerged, composed of public and private institutions dedicated to supporting entrepreneurship and innovation. As a result, various programmes aiming to raise the capacities of young entrepreneurs are expanding. The policy paper “Raising the capacities of young entrepreneurs: Best practices and recommendations” examines five Arab Mediterranean Countries, namely Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon and Egypt, in order to analyse the existing programmes that support entrepreneurship. It highlights best practices targeted at students, wannabe entrepreneurs and start-up founders, by taking into account the different stages of the entrepreneurial journey i.e. from the idea to the growing phase. Looking into the main policies introduced to foster entrepreneurship, the paper raises the issue of sourcing high-quality projects and the importance of tailored support to empower and inspire the youth at an earlier age. The author underlines several loopholes in the entrepreneurship support chain and puts forward recommendations for actions at the national and regional level.

CAWTAR | 2019-02-07 09:29:17

Papers

​/Young entrepreneurs//Employment// Empowering young people /Entrepreneuriat//Economic participation//Youth and business// Best practices//Arab countries/​