Platform linking entrepreneurs to mentors launches Arabic version in Jordan

AMMAN — The Arabic version of the MicroMentor platform, a free social network that connects entrepreneurs to volunteer business mentors, was launched at an Amman-held event on Wednesday, which was attended by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Wissam Rabadi. 

The platform, a project of international humanitarian organisation Mercy Corps in collaboration with Mastercard, is now available in 179 countries. It was first officially introduced in the Kingdom in April 2019 and is now available in Arabic.

During a keynote speech at the beginning of the event, Rabadi said that employment is a “major challenge” in the Kingdom, stressing the high unemployment rate among youth and women.

He highlighted the importance of mentoring for entrepreneurship and growth, saying: “It is really important to have someone to encourage you.” 

The minister also mentioned the difficult regional circumstances Jordan is facing and its need to establish itself in new markets.

Anita Ramachandran, executive director of MicroMentor, said that micro to medium-sized enterprises account for “more than 90 per cent of businesses and two-thirds of jobs worldwide”, adding that the platform “democratises access to mentoring” so that enterprises do not have to operate in isolation, according to a statement shared with The Jordan Times.

Natasha Jamal, regional director for Mastercard’s Centre for Inclusive Growth in the Middle East and Africa, was quoted in the statement as saying: “We know that entrepreneurs and small businesses are the backbone of most economies across the Middle East and Africa, and that they have great potential to grow and become engines of job creation.”

The statement also noted that MicroMentor is currently aiming to partner with ForUs and StartGate, two of the leading digital platforms in Jordan.

In an interview with The Jordan Times in November of last year, Khaleel Najjar, the programme manager for MicroMentor Jordan, stressed the need for the Arabic version of the platform.

“Our goal is for MicroMentor to become popular all around Jordan and the region, and the language barrier is a hindrance against that,” he said at the time.

Since 2003, MercyCorps has been working to support Jordanians as well as Syrian refugees, “leading a global community of humanitarians to create a future where everyone can prosper”, the organisation said on its website.