By Dana Al Emam
Jordan Times, Amman.
AMMAN
The percentage of Jordanian female entrepreneurs exceeds the international average of female participation in the field, according to a field expert.
“Around 38 per cent of entrepreneurs in Jordan are women,” Haider Shakiry, mentoring manager at Forsa Project, said at a meeting on Saturday, adding that the average rate reaches 33 per cent.
“Entrepreneurs [from both genders] under 35 years constitute 76 per cent of all Jordanian entrepreneurs,” he said at an event held at King Hussein Business Park, noting that around 30 per cent of entrepreneurial projects in the Kingdom serve the information technology sector.
In cooperation with Mowgli Mentoring, which is a UK-headquartered mentoring organisation, Forsa offers entrepreneurs a one-to-one mentoring opportunity to help them start their businesses or small- and medium-sized enterprises.
Forsa is a UK-sponsored initiative that supports entrepreneurship by offering an innovative mentoring programme and assisting governments in ongoing efforts to improve the business environment, foster economic growth and create sustainable private sector jobs, according to the organisation’s website.
“Forsa mentors, who have 15-20 years of experience, motivate entrepreneurs and assist them with starting and developing their projects,” Shakiry told participants at the meeting, which was attended by British Ambassador to Jordan Peter Millett.
“Most entrepreneurs have benefited from their relations with their mentors and their fellow entrepreneurs,” he added.
Forsa seeks to build communication bridges and boost cooperation among its entrepreneurs in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Morocco, Libya and Jordan to expand networks, according to Shakiry.
Thanaa Khasawneh, Levant business manager at the Mowgli Foundation, noted that the organization aims to provide entrepreneurs with inspiration, connection and the ability to evolve.
