2013 UNITED NATIONS PUBLIC SERVICE FORUM
UN Public Service Day and Awards Ceremony
“Transformative e-Government and Innovation:
Creating a Better Future for All”
Creating on Enabling Environment for Entrepreneurship
and Economic Development through Innovation and
e-Government
Professor Mazin Juma’ah, Ph.D
President, Royal University for Women
Defining an Entrepreneur
The Entrepreneur creates strategies to
transform the vision into reality.
Defining an Entrepreneur
An individual who propelled by an idea,
personal goals and ambition, brings together
the financial capital, people, equipment and
facilities to establish and manage a business
enterprise.
The one who undertakes a commercial
enterprise and who is an organizational
creator and innovator.
Defining an Entrepreneur
Entrepreneurs seek out and identify
potentially
profitable
economic
opportunities and as such…they are
agents of growth.
Defining an Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is concern with:
• The environment conditioning opportunity,
• The process of discovering opportunity,
• The evaluation and exploration of opportunity
The individual decision-maker who do these things is
an Entrepreneur.
Women Entrepreneurs in the Middle East
Women are increasingly becoming
contributors to global economy and the
pace of entrepreneurial activities by
women is on the rise around the globe.
Women Entrepreneurs in the Middle East
The statistical data on women owned
businesses of different countries and
regions are impressive for most middle
and high income countries.
While in the Middle East, numbers are
lower, they are still being encouraged.
Women Entrepreneurs in the Middle East
Despite the rise in the number of
educated women in the Middle East,
women are not as active in professional and
entrepreneurial activities as compared to
women from countries with similar
socioeconomic characteristics.
Women Entrepreneurs in the Middle East
Challenges for Women Entrepreneurs:
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Regulations and Social Constraints
Access to capital in some countries
Difficulties in start-up processes
Trait characteristics such as low self-confidence
and aversion to risks.
Enhancing Women Entrepreneurship
Women entrepreneurship can be enhanced by:
 Establishing mentoring centers that would work
with individuals as well as groups of women, and
would provide services such as:
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Specialized training on the start-up
process.
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Coaching by experts in the field.
Enhancing Women Entrepreneurship
Enhancing
legislation
to
advocate
regulatory changes which would facilitate the
participation of in entrepreneurship.
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The Role of Academia in Entrepreneurship
Universities can play a major role in
entrepreneurship due to their:
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Knowledge base through the academic staff
Scientific research
Programmes delivered
High technology laboratories
Administrative and infrastructure resources
Business incubators
The Role of Academia in Entrepreneurship
Universities can also play a major role in
entrepreneurship due to:
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Courses in entrepreneurship which can
be found in most of the universities.
Majors in entrepreneurship are also common
in the majority of business schools.
Education in general also influences
entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurs who complete university
education are likely to establish more
innovative companies.
The Role of Academia in Entrepreneurship:
Business Incubators
Business incubation is a business support
process that accelerates the successful
development of start-up and fledgling
companies by providing entrepreneurs with
an array of targeted resources and services.
The Role of Academia in Entrepreneurship:
Business Incubators
Business incubators provide both tangible and
intangible support.
• Tangible support includes office space, furniture
and equipment.
• Intangible support consists of providing the
entrepreneurs with technical assistance, business
courses, networking possibilities, etc.
The Role of Academia in Entrepreneurship:
University-based Incubators (UBIs)
University-based incubators have become
popular:

They seek to provide a unique opportunity
to new entrepreneurs to benefit from the
talent and resources that are located in the
university.
The Role of Academia in Entrepreneurship:
University-based Incubators (UBIs)
University-based incubators have become
popular:
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Business owners have access to research
labs, seminars on campus, and can tap the
academics for their knowledge and
networks.
The Role of Academia in Entrepreneurship:
University-based Incubators (UBIs)
University-based incubators have become
popular:

Universities also benefit from supporting
and/or sponsoring UBIs as those facilities can
be used for training opportunities for
students and as commercial outlets for
faculty research.
ROYAL UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN:
ACADEMIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP MODEL
OUR MISSION:
To offer our students a rewarding and
challenging multi-cultural learning environment
that cultivates strong, well-rounded personalities,
encourages leadership, and builds character,
social consciousness and community. To realize
our commitment to teaching, learning, research
and service through the activities of all members
of the University community.
OUR VISION:
The Royal University for Women will become
the regional leader in academic excellence for
women. Programmes and practices that meet
international standards will prepare our graduates
to become leaders who are engaged members of
their society demonstrating initiative and life-long
habits of learning and individual development. The
RUW graduate will be creative, confident and
forward thinking.
ROYAL UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN
ACADEMIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP MODEL
BACHELOR COURSES
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
COURSES
LEADERSHIP
COURSES
PROJECTS
BUSINESS COURSES
Required
Activities
For
RUW
Students
EDUCATIONAL TRIPS
AND EXCHANGE STUDENTS
RESEARCH OUTPUT
(STUDENTS AND FACULTY)
CEWE /
UNIDO
RUW
BUSINESS
INCUBATION
CENTER
(To Be
Established)
RUNNING
ENTREPRENEURSHIPS
SEMINARS AND
WORKSHOPS
CONFERENCES
AND FORUMS
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
INDUSTRIAL INTERNSHIP
FACULTY ADVISORY COMMITTEES
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
ROYAL UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN:
ACADEMIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP MODEL
CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT (CEWE)
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Implementation of the working agreement with UNIDO
to conduct training on EDIP to empower women.
The CEWE is an academic empowerment hub that nurtures
entrepreneurship qualities of individuals with a
comprehensive process in preparation to employability
competencies.
It is equipped with professional and experienced
business counselors and mentors that assist the
students in identifying their business idea and
developing the business plan.
ROYAL UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN:
ACADEMIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP MODEL
CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENY (CEWE)
RUW BUSINESS PRE- INCUBATION CENTER
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The center will develop the Business Prototype and
monitors the growth.
The center houses the budding business in an In-wall
incubation and likewise supervise the virtual business
incubation.
ROYAL UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN
ACADEMIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP MODEL
At RUW, we blend the dynamics of theoretical
know-how with the empirical aspects of
entrepreneurship to enable students to cope with
the needs of industry.
ROYAL UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN
ACADEMIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP MODEL
The activities in the model are required to all
students as the RUW prepares them to actuate
their line of expertise when they create,
innovative and embrace entrepreneurship.
As expected, they become Job Providers.
University-based Incubator Stakeholders
Universities are more likely to succeed in creating
successful entrepreneurs if they are supported by a
broadly based partnership of public and private
sector sponsors.
The key partners include:
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National authorities and public agencies
Companies, banks and other private
sector organisations
Research & Development organizations
Community, voluntary organisations, NGOs
Thank You !