Startup ecosystem takes centre stage at SPARK ‘Regional Stakeholders Event’

AMMAN — SPARK, a nongovernmental development organisation, on Monday held its “Regional Stakeholders Event” under the “From Innovation to Creation”programme, funded by the European Union.

The two-day event is an open discussion about the startup ecosystem in the regional and national contexts and how existing programmes and services can be strengthened, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In addition, the event will provide opportunities for knowledge exchange between SPARK’s regional partners and external stakeholders on innovation, policy and access to markets.

The event also features panel discussions exploring ways that start-ups can access new markets, export goods and services, and understand how policy can create an enabling  business environment. Panels also covered methods of increasing foreign investment in Jordan and the rest of the Middle East.

The event features key stakeholders active in the Jordanian, Lebanese, Palestinian and Tunisian startup ecosystems.

Entrepreneurship is one of the ministry’s top priorities, according to Lisa Habashneh, director of the Investment and Entrepreneurship Department at the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, who also noted that numerous initiatives already exist to foster entrepreneurial activity in Jordan.

The purpose of this meeting, according to Thibaut Moyer, deputy head of cooperation and head of the Economic, infrastructure and trade section of the EU Delegation to Jordan, is to strengthen innovation. He emphasised that the European Union is committed to strengthening cooperation with its neighbours and networking with various startup incubators.

He said: “We started our partnership with SPARK, and we hope that it will bear fruit in supporting business and creating opportunities,” and that the EU’s upcoming programme in Jordan to support entrepreneurship is being developed in partnership with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship to continue supporting entrepreneurship.

SPARK’s Regional Programme Director Mourad Hentati said that the organisation supports youth employment in the Middle East region by bringing together all stakeholders in the ecosystem in one project. Spark has more than 25 partner organisations in Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Tunisia.