A Webinar on "Entrepreneurship in the Field of Information & Communication Technology in Light of the Effects of the Corona Pandemic"

  • Virtual Symposium
  • 15 June 2020
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On June 11, 2020, the Arab Industrial Development and Mining Organization organized a virtual workshop on "Entrepreneurship in the field of information and communication technology, while keeping pace with the implications of the Coronavirus pandemic."

The workshop was moderated by Faten Saeed, Director of Industrial Information Department of the Arab Organization for Industrial Development and Mining, with the participation of:

- Dr. Mohamed Kayali: CEO of the UK Business Advisory Group, President of the International Green ICT Union

- Saeed Al-Mouden: General Manager of 3ETech, a former Intel expert

- Dr. Mohamed Skalli: Director of a Leadership Development company, Director of a company for educational robots

- Badr Al-Zoutouti: Director of the Digital Innovation Company, Treasurer of the National Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises - Kingdom of Morocco.

The speakers provided a comprehensive overview of entrepreneurship before and after the Corona pandemic, the role of technology and information, and its impact on SMEs.

During the workshop, the following topics were discussed:

- Looking for the future of information technology through business leaders.

- The role of entrepreneurs in promoting startups and SMEs.

- Educational robots and their impact on developing future entrepreneurs.

- Actions to support SMEs in the light of the Corona pandemic.

Dr. Kayali indicated that this pandemic has cast a shadow over all levels in the Arab world and the world, and touched all classes, starting with individuals, small and medium companies, large companies and government companies.

Kayali offered three axes to get out of the crisis with the least losses. The first axis focuses on how to build a special unit for risk management from this pandemic, by training employees in the company with certain scientific levels to be prepared for any type of risk. The second axis includes how to work to secure the needs and policies that help future business leaders to adapt to this pandemic, by ensuring the treatment and progress of the company even in the presence of a pandemic. For example, in the food industry, if there is not enough commodity during the pandemic, the company loses. The third axis is how to get prepared for any future pandemic.

For his part, Al-Mouden clarified the positive side of the Corona pandemic, which is the importance of the digital transformation and how it contributed to some extent to contribute to the follow-up of the work. He pointed out that "this pandemic confirmed the necessity of the digital transformation of small and medium-sized companies."

In his speech, Al-Modin discussed the Fourth Industrial Revolution, its importance, and how to develop education and distance work. Considering that the dark side of digital transformation is the fear of losing work as a result of the emergence of robots and the extent to which laws are developing these technological developments.

Dr. Skalli spoke about the educational robots and their impact on developing future entrepreneurs, and pointed out the importance of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the need to develop the human element. He also discussed how to develop entrepreneurs of the present and the future by focusing on the most important goal, which is the scientific positivity, follow-up, support, and continuity.

In turn, Al-Zattouti discussed the measures that must be taken in order for these companies to find an economic climate that pushes them to work on the right path by working to enable these companies and obtain government funding, noting that "the state must encourage entrepreneurship, and the financial sector must provide facilities for these companies, and the private sector, should cooperate more to provide solutions to them as well,” stressing that “digital development must have a strategic role in any government planning in the near and in the future.”