Noora al-Mannai and Amal al-Mannai at the MoU signing ceremony. PICTURE: Shemeer Rasheed
Enterprise Qatar (EQ) Chief Executive Officer Noora al-Mannai and Social Development Centre (SDC) managing director Amal al-Mannai have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen and support micro enterprises in Qatar.
The MoU sets out a process that will begin with a detailed assessment and lead to a national strategy for micro enterprises. This, in turn, will help improve and increase the services provided to micro
enterprises.
Activities will include the development of databases, situational evaluation and follow-up systems that will help micro enterprises grow to enter the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sector in accordance with Qatar National Vision 2030.
The partnership will see the creation of a project team with staff from both organisations. The work will begin with an assessment of the micro enterprises sector and the creation of a comprehensive database. A baseline report on the current situation will be published, followed by the setting of clear goals and creation of a national strategy.
EQ and SDC, which is also a member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will develop a Monitoring and Evaluation for Results System.
Noora al-Mannai said the partnership would provide for the sharing of expertise and knowhow, resulting in better services and a more supportive environment for micro enterprises. “Our partnership with SDC is a necessary step in reforming the subsidised services provided to micro and home-based businesses already being delivered by SDC. At EQ, our initial market research has shown that this sector consists of a substantial portion of the Qatari business community, but faces many challenges that hinder its growth and continuity,” she explained. “The partnership will help provide better services to micro businesses in Qatar, enhancing their efficiency and performance and helping the cultivation of a supportive ecosystem. The joint EQ-SDC team will start working on this initiative by conducting a comprehensive study on the sector.”
Amal al-Mannai said, “The process of developing micro businesses requires joining forces and aligning the roles of all stakeholders in order to achieve the aims of the national strategy. We believe that the MoU will mark a very important step towards developing this important sector in the State of Qatar.”
The centre has played a key role in this regard since 2000, when the Badr initiative was launched (previously called Modern Family), helping develop a large number of home-based businesses and continuing to support them to step into the entrepreneurial business community.
The Rasameel Fund was introduced in 2003 to assist developing SMEs while the Tanmeya programme was launched in 2008 to help business owners acquire necessary training and business skills.
The impact of the memorandum is expected to be far-reaching. The 2010 census, carried out by the Qatar Statistics Authority, revealed that 50% of enterprises in Qatar employed between one and four persons and could be classified as micro.