The ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship is an initiative co-led by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) to prepare and mobilize the next generation of entrepreneurs in the Arab region.
The ICC Centre of Entrepreneurship aims to create the largest interconnected business-led ecosystem for local entrepreneurs to build meaningful livelihoods.
How does the ICC ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship work?
The Centre works to develop the skills of young people who face uncertain employment prospects, mentor start-ups and local entrepreneurs, and improve the livelihoods of citizens in Lebanon and the Arab region. It pairs local entrepreneurs with experts from the United Nations and ICC to provide virtual mentoring and coaching and provides local entrepreneurial initiatives with a platform for regional and international exposure.
Community Workshops
The ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship hosts community workshops to look at the structural challenges facing emerging and developing entrepreneurial markets in the region. The purpose of these workshops is to bring together different stakeholders from the region to identify, understand, and address the critical issues facing business in the region.
The ICC Centre of Entrepreneurship comprises regional hubs with locations around the world to deliver tailored support to local entrepreneurs, small businesses and start-ups.
The ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship is an initiative co-led by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) to prepare and mobilize the next generation of entrepreneurs in the Arab region.
The ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship was launched in October 2020 to develop the skills of young people who face uncertain employment prospects, mentor start-ups and local entrepreneurs, and improve the livelihoods of citizens in Lebanon and the Arab region. The ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship is located at the United Nations House in Beirut, Lebanon.
In partnership with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESWA), the Centre pairs local entrepreneurs with experts from the United Nations and ICC to provide virtual mentoring and coaching. Drawing upon the expertise of chambers of commerce in over 100 countries, ICC’s Knowledge Solutions Department, and ESCWA’s knowledge hubs, the Centre provides local entrepreneurial initiatives with a platform for regional and international exposure.
Each year, the ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship organises a series of talks for entrepreneurs, chambers of commerce, businesses, banks, and governments, to share ideas, exchange experiences, and develop solutions to the structural challenges facing developing markets in the region. By bringing together leaders, businesses and entrepreneurs, the ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship will establish a community of innovative professionals to challenge convention and transform the future of business.
Community Workshops
The ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship has organised a series of community workshops to look at the structural challenges facing emerging and developing entrepreneurial markets in the region. The purpose of these workshops is to bring together different stakeholders from the region to identify, understand, and address the critical issues facing business in the region.
Tech Scaleup MENA Preliminary Report 2021
In April 2021, the ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship and Mind the Bridge published the Tech Scaleup MENA – 2021 Preliminary Report, a landmark overview of the of the MENA tech scaleup ecosystem.
Download a copy of the report now.
Helping Lebanon rebuild
The ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship will convene stakeholders from government, business, and civil society across the region, to exchange ideas and policies to aid Lebanon’s rebuild.
Learn from the ICC Centre of Entrepreneurship – Beirut Hub’s strategic partners
The ICC Centre of Entrepreneurship – Beirut Hub is supported by a wide variety of strategic partners to ensure that local entrepreneurs and start-ups have access to world-class resources, tools, and expertise.
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Berytech, Beirut’s ecosystem for entrepreneurs, is working with the ICC Centre of Entrepreneurship – Beirut Hub to scale up start-ups in the region. Leveraging Berytech’s proven expertise in supporting entrepreneurship and innovation, funding advice, mentoring, and counselling, the ICC Centre of Entrepreneurship – Beirut Hub will provide start-ups and entrepreneurs with the required knowledge to scale their operations globally. |
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Facebook will support the ICC-ECWAS Centre of Entrepreneurship on a wide variety of projects related to digitization of SMBs in the region. As part of this partnership, ICC will provide on the ground support for Facebook’s #LoveLocal initiative – designed to provide additional support to SMBs in the MENA region, the campaign will help them pivot to digital and grow by highlighting several resources made available for their economic recovery. The campaign amplifies the voice of SMBs, while shedding light on their stories and their challenges to help generate consumer demand for local SMBs across the region. To find out more, visit Facebook’s website. |
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Mind the Bridge, an innovation advisory firm, will be working with ICC Centre of Entrepreneurship – Beirut Hub to help scaling, mapping, and empowering start-ups in the MENA region. |
For more information about the hub in Beirut, please contact Joelle Yazbeck joelle.yazbeck@un.org
ICC and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) have launched the ICC-ECA Centre of Entrepreneurship. The first hubs were announced in Ghana, Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria to inspire innovation and improve the business environment for entrepreneurs and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Africa.
With strategic locations across Africa, the ICC-ECA Centre of Entrepreneurship will work with various stakeholders, including businesses, chambers of commerce, academic institutions, intergovernmental and governmental agencies, to connect local entrepreneurs to global markets and enhance regulatory conditions for SMEs to thrive.
From developing the skills of young people who face uncertain employment prospects to mentoring local start-ups and entrepreneurs, the ICC-ECA Centre of Entrepreneurship is devoted to preparing the next generation of African business leaders.
The Centre of Entrepreneurship in Casablanca is hosted by ICC Morocco, ICC’s national committee in Morocco, in partnership with United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia.
In additional to working with the global programmes of the Centre of Entrepreneurship, programmes in Casablanca includes the eCommerce Acceleration Programme (eCAP) which contributes to the growth of the digital economy and stimulates a dynamic entrepreneurship environment across the Arab region.
For more information about the hub in Casablanca, please contact Mohamed Ourdedine m.ourdedine@iccmaroc.ma
Date 24th January 2023
