Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

One million Small and Medium Businesses across the Middle East and Africa to benefit from free resources and special offers

One million Small and Medium Businesses across the Middle East and Africa to benefit from free resources and special offers

Empower, educate and engage the world around you: Alliance of leading companies to support SME sector to digitize and adapt given its critical importance to jobs and economies.
Dubai, UAE, 16 March 2021: A new private sector initiative launching today will provide help to hundreds of thousands of small to medium enterprises in digitizing their sales and operations throughout the Middle East and Africa. Led by the social enterprise Potential.com, the campaign brings together a number of global organizations including Aramex, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco, Schneider Electric and the World Free Zone Organization who will offer small to medium business owners free resources, advice and services that’ll help them adapt to a post-pandemic economy.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the cornerstone of economies throughout the world,
accounting for over 90 percent of all businesses and providing a major source of new job creation according to the Internationa Monetary Fund. In Saudi Arabia as an example, SMEs constitute up to 99 percent of all private businesses, account for 64 percent of employment and contribute 20 percent of the Kingdom’s gross domestic product. While in in South Africa, SMEs account for 91% of businesses, 60% of employment and contribute 52% of total GDP.
“SMEs are the lifeblood of economies, and we need to step up and support them,” said Shadi Banna, Founder and CEO, Potential.com. “Last year transformed economies, with every business prioritizing digitization efforts. Through our collaboration with leading organisations, we’re here to support the SME do just that. Our goal is to empower over one million businesses in the first twelve months of this initiative, and I encourage more firms and governments to get involved. The more we do now, the stronger our economies will be and the greater the opportunity for job creation in the months and years ahead.”

SMEs can join the platform for free and use video-based courses to help them create their digitization action plans whilst collecting points. These points allow them to unlock special offers, including free expert sessions on topics that are relevant to them and their industries, as well as additional resources to help them reduce costs and improve their digital systems. The program will also help SMEs to network with their peers in a pan-regional online community, to support greater peer-to-peer collaboration and make the sharing of advice simpler.

Faris Muqdadi, Global Director - Transactional Account Management at Aramex, said: “At Aramex, we recognize the importance of supporting and empowering SMEs to create their own opportunities. Therefore, we have been very keen since inception to facilitate access to various logistical services and solutions for SMEs from different industries so that we actively contribute to their growth and development process, and help them compete not only locally, but at a global scale. We look forward to keep contributing to the prosperity of this integral sector which will be reflected positively to the overall economy.”

Vinod Krishnan, Head of Middle East, Amazon Web Services (AWS), said, “SMEs and startups play an important role in driving innovative solutions and closing the gap for the region’s digital needs. In light of the pandemic, ensuring that this segment of the economy remains resilient and is setup for future growth is critical. Through Potential.com's initiative, we look forward to supporting startups with the AWS Activate program to help them realize the full benefits of cloud computing. AWS Activate provides a variety of resources including AWS credits, trainings, and mentorship, as well as business and technical support to help companies scale and grow.”

“SMEs play a vital role in developing our national economies, be it job creation, adding competition to the marketplace or driving innovation. Ensuring their success remains a not only an ideal, but in fact, our collective duty. When devising or evolving one’s digital transformation agenda, access to the right counsel and resources are key. Through this initiative, we are pleased to be playing our role, accelerating support and potential growth outcomes for the region’s SMEs,” said Hani Raad, Managing Director of SME at Cisco Middle East and Africa.

“SMEs are the fundamental driver of economies throughout the region, and we want to play our part in helping them become both more digital and also more sustainable,” said Remi Pages, Services Vice President Middle East and Africa at Schneider Electric. “ We at Schneider Electric see ourselves as an enabler, especially in the space of energy efficiency and automation. We’re looking forward to working with Potential.com and all the other organizations in this partnership to help SMEs become stronger, so they can play their role in a green economic recovery.”

To help in reaching out to the SMEs, the alliance will be partnering with governments, chambers and multilateral organizations such as World Free Zone Organization to bring the program to various communities across the world.

“As the global association for Free Zones, we recognize the importance of SMEs as the backbone of any economy and as a vital part of the Free Zone ecosystem. With more than 3 million SMEs located in Free Zones one of our early mandates has always been the sharing of knowledge, experience, and administrative skills as well as collaboration to encourage global investment and trade expansion, by transforming free zones into hubs for entrepreneurs. By taking part in this initiative, we take one more important step towards giving them the right tools to grow and make meaningful contributions to their local economies.” – said Dr Samir Hamrouni, CEO, World Free Zone Organization.

Over the coming months, as governments join this effort, the platform will be customised for individual countries and sectors to align with the priorities and support programs available in those countries.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
×