Winners of the competition.
The fifth edition of Al-Fikra National Business Competition was held under the patronage of HE the Minister of Economy and Commerce Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani, who was present along with QDB chief executive officer Abdulaziz bin Nasser al-Khalifa, and other high-ranking officials of partnered organisations.
The value of the awards amounted to more than QR8mn and prizes ranged from access to finance, incubation time and advisory services to help the successful entrepreneurs translate their business ideas into reality and commence operations on ground.
Al-Khalifa said, “We at QDB aspire to inculcate a culture of creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and innovativeness across the nation through providing a supportive environment for entrepreneurs. An integral part of our development strategy for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has been to provide the requisite impetus for the national economy to achieve diversity and sustainable development, as envisioned in the Qatar National Vision 2030. Our national business competition is a case-in-point.”
“Our primary focus during our evaluation phase was the quality and innovativeness of the submissions with respect to the commercial needs of the market - the finalists were selected by the jury on criteria that includes the quality of the ideas submitted and the feasibility of their business plans. Through the support of QDB, the finalists are empowered to translate their business models into a reality. Here, I would like to thank all the pioneers of Al-Fikra, who participated in the contest in the past editions, and I would like to sincerely congratulate the winners of the current fifth edition,” he added.
QNB assistant general manager (SME Banking) Khaled al-Nuaimi said, “QNB Group is pleased to sponsor this competition, which witnesses the presentation of many creative ideas from budding entrepreneurs. QNB Group always aims to be at the forefront of the organisations supporting the efforts of this upcoming generation of business men and women and nurturing their creative energies for the benefit of our national economy and to build a brighter future for our State of Qatar.”
President of GTL Ventures at Sasol, Phinda Vilakazi, said, “Entrepreneurship is in our DNA. It is for this reason that Sasol continues to support Al-Fikra and the talented youth of Qatar to develop their ideas into successful businesses, so that they may make a difference in people’s lives. I would like to thank Qatar Development Bank for continuing to develop and support entrepreneurship in Qatar.” ExxonMobil Qatar president and general manager Alistair Routledge said, “ExxonMobil Qatar is proud to support the 2017 edition of the Al-Fikra National Business Competition, hosted by Qatar Development Bank. It is a tremendous platform for future business leaders to build on their ingenuity and develop their unique competencies.”
In an effort to assist candidates in developing their ideas and transforming them into operational projects, QDB has collaborated with a group of preeminent supporters and strategic partners to organise Al-Fikra this year. The competition is sponsored by QNB, Sasol and ExxonMobil as official sponsors.
Moreover, QDB is collaborating with its two subsidiaries, Qatar Business Incubation Centre and Bedaya Center for Entrepreneurship and Career Development.