ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship
Empowering entrepreneurs in the Arab region
The ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship is an initiative co-led by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) to prepare and mobilize the next generation of entrepreneurs in the Arab region, by building the capacity of various stakeholders, including government agencies and business enablers, in addition to nurturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through specialized programmes.
The eCommerce Acceleration Programme (eCAP) contributes to the growth of the digital economy and stimulates a dynamic entrepreneurship environment across the Arab region.
December 20, 2022: ESCWA launched the second eCommerce Acceleration Programme (eCAP), with the support of the ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship, to empower Arab small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through their transition journey into online selling.
The eCAP programme builds the capacity of up to 100 SMEs from the Arab region to transition into online selling, either by developing their transactional eCommerce websites or by selling on existing online marketplaces. Participating SMEs will benefit from business and technical expertise, critical setup fees to build/optimize their online platforms or sell on existing virtual marketplaces, one-on-one coaching, in addition to exposure and access to networking opportunities.
Eligible SMEs must:
The online application form is available in English and Arabic. Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis. You are highly encouraged to apply as early as possible, as submissions close when the targeted number of participants is reached.
1 February 2023 - The ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship is holding a series of webinars for small and medium enterprises in the Arab region on how to foster cross-border eCommerce by leveraging digital marketing to expand to international markets.
The series entails six sessions, running on 7 and 28 February, 14 March, 3 and 19 April, and 9 May 2023.
The webinars host representatives of major technology companies and digital marketing agencies, as well as experts in the field, to share knowledge and insights, give access to resources and practical tools, and discuss trends that are shaping the world of eCommerce.
Under the theme of “Entrepreneurship: A lever for integrating current and future
generations into the dynamics of development in Morocco”, the ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship
hosted a forum at the new Centre of Entrepreneurship in Casablanca on 1 December 2022. The forum, the
first to be held at the Centre, engaged various stakeholders, including businesses, chambers of
commerce, academic institutions and intergovernmental and governmental agencies, in supporting small
businesses in Morocco, connecting local entrepreneurs to global markets and enhancing regulatory
conditions for SMEs to thrive.
On 18 November 2022, the ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship and the ITC co-hosted a
webinar to announce the outcomes of the first ecommerce Acceleration Programme. The results included 46
SMEs developing their ecommerce transactional websites, 26 SMEs creating at least one seller account on
local, regional and/or international virtual marketplaces, as well as 24 SMEs optimizing their existing
websites to improve performance and drive more traffic. As SMEs took control of their own websites, the
session entailed final tips and recommendations from ITC experts on content, search engine optimization,
digital marketing, customer service and IT support.
On 31 October 2022, on the sidelines of the Arab SME Summit, the ICC-ESCWA Centre of
Entrepreneurship and the International Trade Centre (ITC) hosted an interactive session on “How to
digitize your business and sell online.” The session addressed key issues that continue to block SMEs in
the Arab region from engaging in online selling and on how to enhance the participation of SMEs in the
digital economy and strengthen their capacities to promote economic growth.
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On 27 June 2022, the ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship organized an expert group
meeting hosted by ESCWA and DxTalks at the UN
House in Beirut. The “Reviving the Digital Economy in Lebanon” meeting brought together key players in
the digital economy, including entrepreneurs and SMEs, representatives from the private and public
sectors, and NGOs and civil society organizations to discuss Lebanon’s need for a holistic national
strategy to transition towards a digital economy.
For more information, please check the meeting
outcome document.
The ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship organized a workshop titled ‘Intellectual
Property for Promoting Innovation and SMEs in the Arab Region’.
The workshop provided an overview of the status and challenges of intellectual property (IP) systems in
the Arab region and the role of IP in promoting entrepreneurship, innovation, and small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs).
Also, the online event discussed best practices and lessons learnt from select Arab countries on
advancing IP systems in their ecosystems and presented the WIPO IP Diagnostics tool to improve the
IP-readiness of innovators and SMEs.
Click here to watch the full
video.
The ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship hosted the first online Regional Economic
Forum in December 2021. The event brought together a line-up of international development experts, SME
representatives, policymakers, corporate leaders and chambers of commerce, crowding in the knowledge and
know-how for SMEs to thrive and succeed.
For more information, please
check the press release.
Leading venture development and entrepreneurial innovation in the Arab region.
We nurture small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by providing best practices in entrepreneurship to build, support, fund and scale their businesses through specialized programmes and make a positive impact on society.
We aspire for everyone in the Arab region, especially women and young people, to have the opportunity to become entrepreneurs. For this to happen, we need to hone existing skills and nurture future skills.
The Centre will provide programmes to equip learners with the skills needed to become entrepreneurs and succeed in an ever-changing world. Shaping and delivering the future of learning is also a way to share the future of work, trade, and the world economy.
The Centre aims to build the capacity of SME leaders in Arab countries to digitize their business, by providing tools and training programmes that will ultimately help them access new customers and ensure accelerated access to finance.
The Centre will also work with Governments and multilateral organizations to advocate for the removal of barriers that prevent SMEs from succeeding at the national and regional levels, thus improving the business environment in developing markets, and strengthening SME capacity to deal with critical challenges.
The Centre will work to enhance the local startup ecosystems in the Arab region by providing entrepreneurs with specialized training, mentoring and support services to establish, fund, manage and expand their startups. The Centre’s ultimate goal is to help startups scale up from the Arab region to global markets.
The Centre's activities also include services that enable open innovation businesses to be more efficient and integrated at the global level. The Centre will also raise awareness of potential opportunities for Arab startups.
Would you like to support the next generation of entrepreneurs in Beirut?
We'd like to hear from you.
