Social Entrepreneurship Roundtables in the Middle East

Through consultations on the ground, MEYI is working to better understand the state of social entrepreneurship and social investment in the Middle East. Under the leadership of Ehaab Abdou, MEYI has led a series of diverse focus groups in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan to survey the existing landscape for social entrepreneurs and investors and identify the key opportunities and challenges they face. To supplement these roundtables, Ehaab has also conducted one-on-one interviews with active figures in the field, such as Iman Bibars, regional director of Ashoka, Arab World, and Laila Iskandar Kamel, chairperson of CID consulting, among others.

In Cairo, an investors and donors roundtable was held in partnership with Naseej on October 13, while leading social entrepreneurs were convened at the Ashoka Arab World office on October 27. In Amman, Ehaab and Naseej brought together a group of Jordanian and Palestinian social entrepreneurs on November 7. In Beirut, in collaboration with the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut, Ehaab held two days of meetings with professors, donors, and social entrepreneurs from November 11 to 12. The Beirut meetings were also attended by Samantha Constant, associate director of the Middle East Youth Initiative. Ehaab will also be participating in the Best Practices in Entrepreneurship Policy (BPEP) conference, hosted by the Dubai School of Government in partnership with the Legatum Institute from November 19 to 20.

Live blogging from the BPEP conference November 19-20 >>

Ehaab says, "The best way to inform our research is to talk to those who are actively involved in promoting social enterprise on the ground. The discussions so far have been invigorating and informative. After two months of extensive desk research, the roundtables and interviews in the field have presented us with new perspectives on the 'real-life' application of social entrepreneurship in various countries. These face-to-face meetings will ensure that we are able propose relevant, concrete and actionable recommendations on how to take the region’s social entrepreneurship and social innovation sectors to the next level.”

View a sample agenda: Beirut roundtable >>

Listen and watch: Ehaab Abdou discusses social entrepreneurship >>