World Economic Forum to tackle MENA’s economic challenges

CAIRO – 19 May 2017: The World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa (WEF) kicks off Friday in Jordan, under the theme of “Enabling Generational Transformation.”

The forum is set to take place between May 19 and 21, in partnership with the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD), and witnessing the participation of 1,000 government, business and civil society leaders from more than 50 countries, according to WEF’s official website.

WEF will tackle growing economic reform efforts in the countries of the region, and ways to address humanitarian challenges in Syria, Iraq and Libya by supporting multi-stakeholder dialogue.

Egypt’s Prime Minister Sherif Ismail headed to Jordan Friday morning to participate in the open forum series, which will address energy assets, protecting refugees, infrastructure investments and ways to address the water crisis, among others.
All sessions are live-streamed through the forum’s website.

The first session of the open forum series tackled “the innovation imperative,” as the only path to transformation in the Middle East and North Africa. It was followed by a pre-meeting press conference, presented by Jordanian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Najib Fakhoury, Head of Regional Strategies, Middle East and North Africa Mirek Dusek and Jordanian news presenter Alia Touqan.

The next sessions include “Arab World from History to Fiction,” covering stories from the region to explore questions of identity, diversity and a shared future; “New Models of Investment for Countries in Transition,” tackling investment methods for inclusive economic growth; and “Towards Human-Centric Growth,” which addresses shifting towards a growth ecosystem.



The forum is also set to address dynamics of a joint economic future between Europe and MENA and the repercussions of Iranian elections.
Another session will focus on the refugees’ crisis:



WEF will be launching “Internet for All” initiative on Sunday, aimed at giving millions of users internet access within three years. The initiative “will deliver a global digital and social platform where leaders from government, the private sector and civil society, and donors can collaborate to scale and replicate internet inclusion activities,” according to the official website.