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As technology continues to disrupt entire industries around the world, the MENA region is witnessing another paradigm: a flood of women entrepreneurs founding businesses, creating jobs, and bolstering their countries’ economies; an ultimate proof of their crucial role in maintaining a sustainable future and economic growth.

A recent paper published by Ernst & Young, titled “Women: The next emerging market”, posits that the global income of women is predicted to reach a staggering $18-trillion by 2018. The paper projects that "over the next decade, the impact of women on the global economy will be at least as significant as that of China and India’s respective 1-billion-plus populations, if not more”.

But according to the ILO, women in the MENA region have been progressing in the economy, following similar global trends, and have been positioning themselves at more prominent business and management levels. Still their full potential remains underutilized, resulting in significant missed opportunities for economic development in the region.

Driven by our commitment to support and empower Arab women, NAWF Women Entrepreneurs on its 10th anniversary is set to be held under the Patronage of the President of the Council of Ministers, H.E. Mr. Saad Hariri, on April 12, 2017, at Movenpick Hotel in Beirut. The Forum brings together key actors of the entrepreneurial ecosystem from a pool of entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, stakeholders, service providers, experts, academics, and politicians selected for their contribution to the society.

The 1-day forum is organized by Al Hasnaa Magazine and Al-Iktissad Wal-Aamal group and will feature presentations, interventions and workshops with an emphasis on interactive discussion among business leaders, achievers, senior representatives from governments and multinational organizations. 

In its previous editions, NAWF gathered more than 2500 entrepreneurs, business and government executives, financiers and venture capitalists, in addition to incubators, accelerators and women advocates. This year’s forum builds on the ongoing efforts to create a vigorous platform for women business owners, new entrepreneurs and startups’ founders in the region; a platform that connects women entrepreneurs to their counterparts, coaches, mentors, multinational corporations’ leaders and like-minded organizations. This edition aims to strengthen and scale up the role of women’s contribution to the economy, and inspire future generations of women to actively participate in building their nations.