(MENAFN- Gulf Times) HE the Minister of Economy and Commerce, Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani has said entrepreneurship plays an important role in Qatar's economic development.
It is considered a main driver of innovation and creativity and the creator of jobs, which contributes to nation building, the minister said in his opening address at the '2nd Entrepreneurship in Economic Development Forum' at the Sheraton Doha.
Sheikh Ahmed said by encouraging entrepreneurship, especially among young people, economic diversification could be achieved.
The SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) sector will certainly activate the services sector, which constitutes 70% of the global economic activity.
The minister also emphasised on the importance of a knowledge-based economy, which Qatar is trying to build.
The event is held under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed.
The forum is organised by Qatar University College of Business and Economics (QU-CBE), in collaboration with the Qatar Ministry of Economy and Commerce and Interactive Business Network (IBN).
Raed Chehaib, IBN chief executive officer; Saif al-Sowaidi, deputy president, Qatar University; Abdul Aziz al-Khalifa, QDB chief executive officer and Wael Sawan, managing director and chairman, Qatar Shell Companies also spoke.
The first keynote message was delivered by Dr Saad al-Barrak, CEO, ILA Group € Kuwait, who focused on the 'entrepreneurial culture'.
An exhibition, on the sidelines of the forum, was inaugurated later.
The main theme of the event is 'Fostering the new generation of entrepreneurs in Qatar and the Gulf'.
It aims to emphasise the importance of developing the private sector and SMEs, investing in an entrepreneurial eco-system and human capital, as well as creating a knowledge economy in order to support economic development and prosperity in line with the goals expressed in Qatar's National Vision 2030.
Among the event's key sponsors and partners are Qatar Development Bank as economic development supporter; Qatar Shell as diamond sponsor; Ahli Bank as platinum sponsor; Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) as gold sponsor; International Bank of Qatar (IBQ) and Masraf Al Rayan as silver sponsors; Qatar First Bank (QFB) as bronze sponsor; and Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco) as lanyard sponsor.
Other supporting partners are the Qatar Chamber, Social Development Centre, INJAZ Qatar, ICT and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Career Guidance (BEDAYA).
In addition, Manateq is the event's official economic zones partner; the College of North Atlantic-Qatar is the educational partner; and the Qatar Central Bank and the Qatar Financial Centre Regularity Authority are the lunch hosts.
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