Arab SMEs Summit

Under the patronage of Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, UN ESCWA organized the first Arab SME Summit from 30 october to 01 november 2022 under the theme "Opportunities beyond borders". The aim was to intensify policy dialogue on small and medium enterprises.

This summit was a regional platform to provide new opportunities for SMEs in the Arab region to expand and position themselves for future progress and growth, as well as access regional and international markets. It took place at the Kempinski Convention Centre in Amman, Jordan.

The Arab SME Summit is planned as an annual event in October/November. For 2023, it is anticipated that it will be held in Morocco.

Objectives

The summit aims to enhance partnerships and expand SME opportunities across the Arab region and internationally by achieving the following objectives:

• Inspiring Arab entrepreneurs with regional and global business models and success stories.

• Providing networking and clustering opportunities and fostering strategic alliances.

• Delivering targeted capacity-building to government entities, business enablers, and SMEs.

• Engaging Arab countries in developing improved SME policy frameworks that promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth and build resilient infrastructures to nurture Arab SMEs.

Outcomes

• Enhance SME access to opportunities and strategic partnerships to drive their growth at the regional and international levels.

• Improve SME capacity to support government institutions and the private sector to expand SME potential.

• Influence policymakers to strengthen the business-enabling environment for Arab SMEs.