Participation: Women should take the initiative and take advantage of the advantages
"Dubai dialogues" open new horizons for women entrepreneurs
Participants in the third session organized by the Dubai Foundation for Women.
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Participants in the "Dubai Virtual Dialogues for Women" confirmed that the UAE is one of the most prominent countries that motivate women to enter the field of female entrepreneurs within the strategy of empowering women, and giving them all opportunities to prove their worth as men, adding that women should take the initiative and benefit from all the advantages granted to them.
This came during the third session of the "Virtual Dubai Dialogues for Women" organized by the Dubai Women Establishment, under the title "Women in Entrepreneurship: Towards New Horizons", in the presence of Shamsa Saleh, Executive Director of the Dubai Women Establishment.
During the session, the Director of the National Program for Small and Medium Enterprises and Enterprises at the Ministry of Economy, Eng. Azza Sulaiman, the CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Rola Abu Menna, the founder and CEO of "Giuseppe The Brand" Shaima Fawaz, and its media management, Nawfer Ramool, an anchor and a senior program presenter at the Dubai Media Corporation, spoke during the session.
Shamsa Saleh emphasized the prominent role of the wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the Emirates Council for Gender Balance, and President of the Dubai Women's Foundation in the economic empowerment of Emirati women, Through the initiatives and programs organized by the Foundation with the aim of opening new horizons for female entrepreneurs in the region.
She indicated that she hosted the regional summit for the Women Entrepreneur Funding Initiative (We-fi), which was held on the sidelines of the Global Women Forum Dubai 2020, which was organized by the Foundation on February 16 and 17, which is the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa region, and attracted more than 250 personalities of senior government officials, leaders and women entrepreneurs from around the world, who contributed to the exchange of best practices, ideas and opinions in the field of entrepreneurship and recommendations of experts and specialists.
equality
For her part, the Director of the National Program for Small and Medium Enterprises and Enterprises at the Ministry of Economy, Eng. Azza Soliman, confirmed during the session that “the UAE, since the establishment of the federation, has worked on the integration of roles between men and women, economic potentials, and equal opportunities between men and women,” noting that there are many Among the supportive policies and legislations, such as Federal Law No. 6 of 2020, which provides for equal wages between the sexes, and the Flexible Government Charter signed by the UAE, which contributes to supporting male and female entrepreneurs and technological and innovative companies to become more able to keep pace with the various changes in the world after the "Covid-" pandemic 19 ».
Suleiman added that the UAE’s reaching the 18th rank in the world and first in the Arab world in the United Nations Development Program’s Gender Equality Index is the best proof of this.
She emphasized that «the UAE continues to empower women in the field of entrepreneurship, and that women should take the initiative and benefit from all the privileges granted to them», pointing out that the National Program for Small and Medium Enterprises and Enterprises in the Ministry of Economy is the executive arm that in turn works to keep pace with the needs of pioneers Business and overcoming the difficulties that they may face, "the goal of government work is to make people happy."
Azza Sulaiman noted the economic packages launched by the Dubai government with the aim of supporting companies and the business sector in Dubai, to enhance financial liquidity and mitigate the effects of the economic situation that resulted from the crisis. “Today we organize a large number of workshops and courses that help entrepreneurs and women entrepreneurs to face various challenges in cooperation with the authorities. The same jurisdiction ».
Improve skills
What must be available for women to enter the field of entrepreneurship?
A question answered by the CEO of Standard Chartered Bank, Rola Abu Menna, saying: “Before deciding to enter the field of entrepreneurship, women must have a spirit of initiative, confidence, perseverance and not fear of taking risks, in addition to the presence of supportive partners around them, whether in their work, their families or their surroundings in general. And women wishing to succeed in this field should continue to improve their leadership and technical skills, and enhance their emotional intelligence, ”noting the importance of continuous development and utilizing technology to enter the market;
This requires new skills that the entrepreneur must be ready to ensure continuity.
Abumana pointed to the Women and Technology program launched by Standard Chartered to support women entrepreneurs: “We launched the program with the aim of supporting new companies headed by women leaders in eight countries - including the UAE, Nigeria and Kenya - with the aim of providing training, mentoring and financing for women entrepreneurs and women-led companies. ».
And she considered that the most important thing that can be learned from the current crisis is flexibility and concern for mental health, and a woman must believe that the key to success is her belief in herself.
Creative vision
For her part, the founder and CEO of "Giuseppe The Brand" Shaima Fawaz said that at the beginning of her work she faced the challenges of job stability and the transition from stable work and fixed salary to risking freelance work, noting that many people who have a creative vision tend to be private. I wanted a private job to be proud of and to succeed in it ».
She added that there are many mistakes that can be made at the beginning of a private business where perfection cannot be achieved in the field of entrepreneurship, and therefore advice and advice should be taken from reliable people, in addition to permanent monitoring of the market and its requirements and the ability to provide it immediately, in addition to developing a risk plan.
She explained that she learned from 2020 that the real priority of family and health, and that the more work develops, the greater the challenges, appreciating the economic measures that the UAE followed during the crisis from exempting business owners from paying rents and some fees during the pandemic, which mitigated the consequences of the loss that the business sector faced.
Fawaz stressed the importance of reaching the consumer at home through the use of social networking sites such as "Instagram", "Twitter", and others, considering that "Covid-19" has changed the perception of entrepreneurs in dealing with customers.
And she continued: “The UAE is one of the best countries that provides financial support and economic planning, which helped me and motivated me to open my own business,” noting the institutions that support those wishing to enter the field of entrepreneurship, such as the Khalifa Fund for Business Development and the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Foundation for Small and Medium Businesses. And the Sharjah Entrepreneurial Support Foundation (Rowad).
Expanding women's participation
The Executive Director of the Dubai Women Establishment, Shamsa Saleh, said that the UAE is at the forefront of more than 14 donors that support the initiative of women entrepreneurs, in the context of enhancing its positive impact in opening up opportunities for them, and expanding the circle of women's participation in the field of entrepreneurship by increasing their access to Funding and entering the market, noting that the recent regional summit of the initiative to finance women entrepreneurs in Dubai constituted a vital platform for strengthening strategic partnerships aimed at achieving significant progress for women at the economic and social levels, by benefiting from global experiences in this field.
Azza Suleiman:
"Since the establishment of the federation, the UAE has worked to complement the roles between men and women, and equal opportunities."
Rola Abu Menna:
"A woman should have a spirit of initiative, confidence, perseverance, and no fear of taking risks."
Shaima Fawaz:
"The UAE is one of the best countries that provide support ... which is what helped and motivated me to open my own business."
The UAE ranked 18th in the world and first in the Arab world in the Gender Equality Index.
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