Middle East Business Magazine

Education is not a mere concept it is considered a life journey that is worthy for all of us, of our time and trust. It is not deniable that education is facing challenges and demands structural reforms.

Middle East Business Magazine

Printing is an industry that changed the world many centuries ago and it continues to evolve with the latest application – 3D printing.

Many of us have wished, at one stage or another, to have a magic machine that prints out our internal ideas by simply connecting a wire to our brains. It seems we’re not very far from this dream thanks to the 3D printer.

Middle East Business Magazine

Convenience products and social media to double sector demand in five years

Dubai, UAE: The Middle East’s packaging industry is undergoing rapid transformation with increasing demand for sophisticated automated solutions, according to exhibitors at Gulfood Manufacturing - the Middle East’s biggest food manufacturing, processing and packaging, logistics and materials handling exhibition - which runs at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from 7-9 November, 2016.

UAE-based Al Thika Packaging - one of the leading domestic exhibitors participating in ProPack Middle East, the dedicated processing and packaging zone within Gulfood Manufacturing - predicts regional sector demand could double within five years as the food processing sector strives to become more competitive in response to increasing consumer demand for convenience products.
“Automated solutions are being sought as companies try to reduce overhead labour costs and keep up with global supply trends,” said Tim Ansell, Al Thika’s Sales Director. “International trends in food products are coming to market much quicker in the UAE as people see through social media what is being offered elsewhere – it’s prompted this market to react faster to global trends.
“Food manufacturers are moving into ready meals, pre-packed ingredients and fruits and vegetables - we are following Western trends. The growth over the past six to seven years has not let up and, put simply, there is a desire to implement new technology; the regional industry is more open to innovation.”

Ansell says demand for high-end automation is coming largely from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, though there has been some recent pick-up from manufacturers and processers in Oman and Kuwait. High-end automation now represents 20 per cent of Al Thika’s sales with Ansell predicting that number will double within five years.

“Such is the demand from the food, drink and pharmaceuticals business that we have had to take on a Project Engineer to analyse customer requirements and produce integrated solutions and equipment,” he said.

We’ve moved from offering just a tray sealer or x-ray for example, to providing turn-key production lines with process equipment, conveyors, packaging machines and automated carton erector loaders. Customers want a one stop service, hassle free installation and local service, so this is playing to our strengths” he said.

According to a recent Euromonitor report forecasts, the Middle East and Africa packaging industry will register the highest growth of any region up to 2019, recording a 5.5 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

The forecasts, says Ishida, a leader in the design, manufacture and installation of complete weighing and packing line solutions for the food industry, could further be impacted by the emergence of export-oriented ‘power’ players within the Middle East, particularly from snack, dates and poultry producers.

Ishida is planning to capture a growing market share with packaging system demonstrations at ProPack Middle East featuring weighers and X-ray inspection systems.

“Apart from rising automation to reduce packaging and waste costs at the manufacturing, retail and end-consumer stages, to increase speed and efficiencies there will also be increasing demand for check-weighers, metal detectors, X-ray inspection systems and seal testers to secure quality control for exports outside the region,” said Torsten Giese, Marketing Manager.
Giese foresees huge changes within the food production sector, all of which will impact the packaging sector. “There will be polarisation. Politically stable countries will experience growth in convenience and ready-to-eat sectors and ‘luxury’ goods while politically unstable regions will fall back to a more agro/self-sufficient positions.

“Some large players will expand to produce and distribute their food products more efficiently and into more regions, thus becoming regional ‘power players’ while others will look to expand down or up in the food logistic chain. For example, growers will move into manufacturing and distribution; so potato growers currently producing potato chips and snacks will diversify to include frozen chips and other potato products.”

ProPack Middle East will be a weathervane to the food manufacturing industry’s transformation, according to Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions & Events Management, DWTC, the Gufood Manufacturing organiser.

“Through the state-of-the-art exhibits, visitors will be able to track the evolution of this vibrant regional industry which is at an undisputed high point in its development,” said LohMirmand.

“With Saudi Arabian and UAE producers looking to satisfy increasingly sophisticated domestic demand and also eyeing lucrative export markets, innovative packaging and weighing solutions which meet regional and international standards will be high on buyers’ shopping lists.”
The ProPack Middle East segment will feature 905 exhibitors from 30 national and industry pavilions, comprising approximately 50 per cent of the total companies at Gulfood Manufacturing 2016, which is 20 per cent bigger than last year. The show will fill 13 halls at DWTC and feature 1,600 food manufacturers, suppliers and industry service providers – up 60 per cent on last year.

Gulfood Manufacturing also features segmented areas including Ingredients Middle East, featuring fine and functional ingredients and the latest bulk and commodity ingredients, innovations, tastes and flavours; and Logistics Solutions Middle East, a showcase for firms involved in material handling, transport and commercial vehicles, IT and technology solutions, warehousing operators, facilitators and service providers.

Source: http://middleeast-business.com/

Published annually, the ISLAMICA 500 is a business guide providing hard-to-find biographical details for 500 of the world’s most prominent and influential personalities in the Islamic world and economy.

مجلة الشرق الاوسط للأعمال - ميدل ايست بزنس

هي ليست مجرد شجرة، يُستفاد من كل اجزاءها، تُغني زارعها، تشفي آكلها، وتحمي الأرض من تحتها وترفع اعمدة الحضارات فوقها... انها شجرة النخيل وثمارها من الرطب والتمر. جاء في القرآن الكريم: 

﴿وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنشَأَ جَنَّاتٍ مَّعْرُوشَاتٍ وَغَيْرَ مَعْرُوشَاتٍ وَالنَّخْلَ وَالزَّرْعَ مُخْتَلِفًا أُكُلُهُ وَالزَّيْتُونَ وَالرُّمَّانَ مُتَشَابِهًا وَغَيْرَ مُتَشَابِهٍ كُلُوا مِن ثَمَرِهِ إِذَا أَثْمَرَ وَآتُوا حَقَّهُ يَوْمَ حَصَادِهِ وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ﴾(الأنعام141).

Following a bleak, over a decade-long period of international sanctions and economic isolation, Iran is emerging as an unlikely investment haven for savvy businessmen from around the world.

This year, Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers gathered and agreed to implement the Vision 2030, which promises to enact sweeping changes to reduce the kingdom’s dependence on oil. Not only does Saudi Arabia’s new economic plan seek to create a more productive private sector and workforce, it also hopes to introduce sustainable fiscal management policies and increase investment opportunities within and beyond Saudi’s borders.

One of the biggest steps taken to encourage an investment-driven economy in Saudi Arabia has been the restructuring of the country’s sovereign wealth fund also known as the Public Investment Fund (PIF). By combining the proceeds from Aramco’s initial public offering and various other assets, the PIF, currently holding $100 billion, will eventually be worth an estimated $2 trillion. Ultimately, providing Saudi Arabia with the financial capital needed to create a more diversified economy and become a stronger regional and global player.   

Attracting Foreign Direct Investment to Saudi Arabia

On a recent visit to the U.S.A, the Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, second deputy premier and defense minister, met with senior U.S. officials and business executives to rally support for the recently approved  National Transformation Plan (NTP) of 2020 and convince American companies to invest in Saudi Arabia. This 5-year plan aims to expand Saudi Arabia’s private sector, while simultaneously promoting “Saudization” and foreign investment.

By introducing a number of key policy reforms, such as reducing the average resolution time for commercial cases by 30%, cutting the percentage of delayed projects from 70% to 40% and speeding up the visa issuing process by two-thirds, the NTP aims to make it easier for people to conduct business in Saudi Arabia. In addition to adding more than 450,000 nongovernment jobs by 2020, creating new investment opportunities worth $613 billion and increasing the foreign direct investment in Saudi Arabia from $8 billion to $19 billion.

According to Mckinsey and Company’s recent Saudi Arabia Beyond Oil report, the following 8 sectors will require an estimated $4 trillion in investment to grow in the kingdom: mining and metals, petrochemicals, manufacturing, retail and wholesale trade, tourism and hospitality, healthcare, finance and construction. To further ease the investment process, the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) has even developed an Android and iOs app that investors can use to explore and discover the investment opportunities available in the country.

Saudi Arabia’s Investment in Foreign Economies

Not only does Saudi Arabia’s 2030 Vision aim to expand the worth of the PIF to approximately $2 trillion, it also intends on increasing the portfolio’s foreign investment share from 5% to 50% by 2020, according to Yasir Alrunmayyan, the PIF’s Secretary-General. By increasing foreign investment, Saudi Arabia hopes to support the growth of Saudi investors and companies abroad to further diverse its existing investment portfolio and economic growth.

While the PIF’s recent $3.5 billion investment in Uber has been praised as a bold move from Saudi Arabia to reinvent its economy, there have also been several other promising investment initiatives in the past two months. In April, Saudi Arabia formed a joint coordination council with Jordan to identify potential opportunities for PIF to invest in the Hashemite kingdom. Although the size of the investment fund and the sectors that will receive its support have yet to be determined, it’s clear that the Jordanian economy needs this influx of capital now, more than ever, to generate jobs for its citizens and economically integrate the country’s 1.5 million Syrian refugees.

King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud also visited Cairo in early April to announce the establishment of a $16 billion investment fund to be shared between the PIF and the Egyptian government. Saudi representatives also signed 17 investment deals and memoranda of understanding for cooperation in the agriculture, industry and infrastructure sectors. Other projects in the works include the creation of an economic free trade zone in Sinai and a new industrial city near the Suez Canal.

During this visit, both Saudi Arabia and Egypt also made a historic agreement to construct a bridge over the Red Sea to connect the two countries. When asked about the proposed bridge, Prince Mohammed said that the crossing would link Europe and Asia, provide building and investment opportunities and help move billions of dollars in cargo across the Red Sea. While no detailed plans have been revealed yet, it is expected that the bridge will span from Nabq on the Egyptian side to Ras Al Sheikh Hamid on Saudi Arabia's western coast.

A Role Model of Economic Reform

Since announcing the 2030 Vision, Saudi Arabia has taken great strides to translate this plan into action, which is already strengthening diplomatic relations and re-energizing economies in the MENA region. If the Saudi government is also able to successfully implement the necessary changes required to improve the ability of foreign investors to conduct business within its borders, the kingdom could become a model for economic reform and global community building in the future.

By Soukaina Rachidi

According to the World Bank, the youth unemployment rate in the MENA region in 2014 was 29.7%, one of the highest in the world. While the political unrest in the region has played a significant role in aggravating this problem, Bayt.com’s 2015 Fresh Graduates in the MENA Survey tells another story. Just over three-fifths of the survey’s respondents claimed “to have considered the availability of jobs in their field before deciding their major.” Furthermore, 76% of MENA graduates claimed that it was difficult to find their first job, because employers frequently wanted candidates with previous work experience. Unfortunately, these attitudes have created two paradoxical problems for young Arabs: unemployment and underemployment. However, this is not the case in Switzerland, where the youth unemployment rate is below 3%.  

This low rate has been attributed to the country’s dual vocational education and training (VET) system, where 16-19 year old students spend two days a week learning in a VET school and three days a week learning practical skills in a host company. Switzerland’s VET system is arguably one of Europe’s strongest, as it is the first choice of 70% of Swiss youth, who are looking to pursue upper-secondary education. This system prepares high achieving youth for white and blue collar jobs in a wide array of fields. Yet another advantage of Swiss apprenticeships is that students are paid. A student can receive the equivalent of $600-$700 to start off with and slowly work their way $1,100- $1,200 by their third year. Once they’ve graduate, VET students in the commercial sector can earn about $50,000 a year, and if they pursue further education, up to $100,000 a year according to the Swiss Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology (OPET).

Despite Switzerland’s comparatively low number of graduates to the Arab, it has a strong economy with a GDP of roughly $80,000 per capita, the fourth highest in the world. Moreover, according to INSEAD’s 2014 Global Innovation Index “Switzerland ranks number one, and has in addition a highly competitive export economy that sends 80 percent of what it produces abroad.” So, what is it that makes Switzerland’s VET model so successful and how can the Arab world use it as a case study to eliminate the $40-$50 billion annual loss caused by high unemployment and unproductivity?

• Labor Market Needs are Clearly Identified

To ensure that VET students are prepared for the workforce, Swiss trade organizations thoroughly explore what skills are in demand in the labor market, so apprentices can receive the right training. After identifying what skills are required, The State Secretariat of Education, Research and OPET work closely together with industry associations to devise the curricula for the 200+ occupations that students can do apprenticeships in. During the VET program, students are guaranteed to acquire the various technical, methodological and social skills needed to excel in their chosen occupation.

• Swiss Youth Receive Counselling

Each Swiss state, also known as a canton, has a network of community-based career centers that support grade students, as they decide whether they want to pursue academic or vocational training at the upper-secondary level. Even though these centers exist outside of the educational system, they regularly engage with schools and provide private consultations for interested students and families. These career centers also offer students a range of services including help writing resumes and developing portfolios to organizing short pre-apprenticeships to explore prospective apprenticeship cites. While students are expected to write their own application letters, their career counselors support them until they find an apprenticeship that meets their needs.

• Private Sector is Highly Invested and Engaged

In 2012, around 58,000 Swiss companies provided VET programs to roughly 80,000 young apprentices in commercial, retail, healthcare, technology, and other fields. According to Franziska Schwarz, Vice Director of OPET, “businesses regard [the] training of young people as their social responsibility” and a long-term investment. Consequently, they don’t receive, or even expect, any government subsidies for taking on apprentices. In fact, companies participating in three-year VET programs collectively invest around $5.4 billion to cover apprentices’ salaries, training materials and instructors. However, in return, not only do these companies receive a considerable net-profit, they also get a highly-skilled and experienced workforce.

While several Arab countries already have vocational programs in place, none of them are as successful as the Swiss VET system. Unfortunately, many regional programs are ineffective, because there is poor communication between employers and educational institutions, there is no integrated national system for occupational standards, labor market data is outdated or unreliable and there is a lack of career counseling services for young Arabs. However, these gaps also offer a unique opportunity for those looking to invest in vocational education and training, private universities, and work-readiness programs to improve the competitiveness of the future workforce in the Arab region

Le 30^e salon du livre et de la presse de Genève s’est tenu à Palexpo du 27 avril au 1^er mai 2016. Véritable parenthèse de partage et d’échanges dans une actualité perçue souvent à travers l’actualité politique, le pavillon des cultures arabes s’attache à dépasser la couverture médiatique tragique des pays et des sociétés du monde arabe pour faire découvrir les richesses connues et insoupçonnées de cette région à la fois familière et  méconnue.

Espace pluridisciplinaire, le pavillon des cultures arabes se veut être un lieu d’échanges et d’écoute au service du partage et de l’émergence de la littérature et de la création arabe, en dialogue avec la francophonie. La librairie, installée au cœur du pavillon est tenue par la librairie arabe L’Olivier à Genève. Un restaurant oriental avec des belles décorations, un espace convivial et un espace jeunesse (initiation à la calligraphie, contes) complètent le cadre convivial aménagé pour la circonstance dans le Salon.

Auteurs et intellectuels arabes, grands noms consacrés et talents émergents, se réunissent pour la troisième année. Aujourd’hui, la littérature de l’exil est en train de se développer et prend un tournant inédit avec le drame des réfugiés. Les persécutions et les déplacements de population concernent aussi les créateurs. Publiée ou pas, cette littérature mérite aussi d’être connue et diffusée. C’est à ces passeurs de lettres, écrivains, migrants et voyageurs, grands noms et jeunes talents, que la version de cette année rend hommage à travers leur actualité de librairie, particulièrement riche cette année. C’est également autour de ces problématiques que la programmation 2016 du pavillon des cultures arabes fêtera la trentième édition du Salon du livre de Genève.

En nous promenant au pavillon, nous assistons à des activités différentes ; des contes, des ateliers initiation à la calligraphie arabe, exposition de cette même calligraphie, tables ronde, débats, rencontres, projection de films et lecture de livres ou de poèmes. Le salon offre la possibilité de voir les écrivains en direct en train de lire leur texte, leur livre ou leur poème, sans parler bien évidemment des débats autour des tables rondes. Nous nous croirions au Souk Okaz*.

Nous pouvons difficilement résister d’acquérir des livres que ce soit sur la culture, la calligraphie arabe, la politique ou des contes pour les enfants, tous faits pour satisfaire la curiosité des visiteurs sur cette région du monde qui ne cesse de faire couler de l’encre. Une fois épuisé, il est possible de prendre un moment de repos autour d’un thé traditionnel au restaurant soigneusement décoré à l’oriental.

La Tunisie : hôte d’honneur

La présence des cultures et des livres arabes ne se limitent pas au pavillon. La Tunisie était l’hôte d’honneur cette année. Dans le coin réservé à ce pays, s’y trouvait un espace pour la musique, un espace culinaire pour la gastronomie tunisienne, un autre pour la poterie et des livres venant du pays. Que la Tunisie ait choisi, comme fil conducteur, la thématique « Révélations de la révolution tunisienne » témoigne de son désir de se démarquer des visions folkloriques mystificatrices, longtemps alimentées et véhiculées par la propagande touristique. Ce pays ne veut plus être constamment réduit aux images splendides de ses plages, ni à son climat revigorant, et encore moins à quelques sites célèbres ; il vaut certainement davantage que ces stéréotypes. Ainsi, la présentation de ses plats,  gâteaux, et huiles ne sera point séparée de sa mémoire culinaire, puisqu’à la base de chaque table, on vénère quotidiennement la trilogie de l’Antiquité : le blé, l’olivier et la vigne.

(Extrait du site : Salon du Livre)

Quelques noms présents au pavillon des cultures Arabes 2016:

Abderrazak Hamouda, Halima Hamdane, Nouri Al-Jarrah, Abdellatif Chaouite, Kaouther Adimi, Lamia Berrada-Berca, Oumayma Ajarraï, Hajar Chokairi, Ons Debbech, Fawzia Zouari, Boualem Sansal, Gilbert Sinoué, Rafik Ben Salah, Paule Fahmé-Thiéry, Najwa Barakat, Gilbert Sinoué, Robert Solé, Raja Ben Slama, Chahla Chafiq, Aymen Daboussi, Hani Abbas,  Younès Ajarraï, Rania Samara, Yasmina Khadra, Abdellatif Laâbi, Jocelyne Laâbi, Elias Sanbar, Leïla Slimani, Hédi Kaddour, Farouk Mardam-Bey, Zadig Hamroune, Vénus Khoury-Ghata

*Un festival organisé à Mec avant l’Islam : Le Festival a été relancé en 2006 par le Prince Khalid al-Faisal, Emir de la Mecque et il est organisé chaque année dans le même mois selon le calendrier Hijri. L'événement se poursuit pendant 2 semaines. Le souk est situé près de la ville saoudienne de Taif dans la partie occidentale de l'Arabie Saoudite. L'ancien Souk Okaz était actif au cours de 542-726 CE et utilisé pour être l'événement le plus important de son genre à l'époque. Historiquement, il était plus qu'un marché, le souk a servi de lieu de rencontre pour les chefs tribaux et les personnes intéressées par la poésie et la littérature. De nombreux concours de poésie ont eu lieu à Okaz et cette tradition a également été relancée dans le souk moderne.

Interviewé par Swiss Arab Entrepreneurs (SAE), David Taji-Farouki, président du jury du Salon des Inventions de Genève, un amoureux des tableaux et objets artistiques, ce qui fait de son bureau un véritable mini musée, nous parle avec patience du Salon des inventions de Genève – dont la 44e édition a clos ses portes dimanche 17 avril 2016 sur un bilan de 66'000 visiteurs, et plus de 600 exposants présentant près de 1000 objets innovants – qui est le plus grand et le plus crédible selon Taji-Farouki. Chaque année il accueille plus de 50 pays, soit entre 700 et 800 inventions.

Selon Taji-Farouki, la participation au salon est ouverte à toute personne avec un brevet, elle ne peut présenter l’invention qu’une seule fois, à moins qu’il y ait un changement majeur. Le salon de Genève dispose des délégués dans les pays qui participent au salon. Quant à la présence des inventeurs en provenance des pays Arabes, selon Taji-Farouki cette année, il y a eu presque 30 participants, la majorité sont des Saoudiens, une participation plutôt maigre comparée aux années précédentes avec un nombre de participant qui frôlait un record entre 50 et 100 inventeurs rien que de l’Arabie Saoudite.

Sans doute, le premier obstacle pour participer au salon de Genève est le financement. Car réserver un stand au Salon des Inventions de Genève, engendre un coût entre 2000 et 2500 francs suisses, s’ajoutant à cela les frais du voyage et le séjour. D’ailleurs le Salon de Genève est un salon d’affaires qui favorise les rencontres entre les inventeurs et les investisseurs. La plus part des participants, en provenance des pays en développement, reçoivent le soutien logistique et financier des instituts scientifiques ou des ministères de l’éducation de leurs pays ou encore des organisations caritatives. Tandis qu’en Europe il n’est pas rare que les participants prennent en charge les frais de participation à ce genre d’évènements.

Taji-Farouki nous parle de son initiative de fonder en 2006 le Salon International de l’Inventions au Moyen-Orient (International Invention faire in the Middle East - IIFME) en collaboration avec M. Eyad Al Kharafi, Président d'honneur du «Kuwait Science Club» à l’époque.. Alors que pour le Salon de Genève la sélection des inventions se fait par un comité d’évaluation, « le juré », composé de 85 experts dans tous les domaines, sans plafonner le nombre des participants, la particularité du salon IIFME réside dans la participation quasiment gratuite, car il faut juste s’acquitter des frais d’inscription qui s’élèvent à 500 dollars. Mais le nombre des participants est limité à 150-180, et cela pour une bonne raison, car les participants font le concours pour accrocher des prix pour un budget total de 50 mille dollars, le premier prix s’élevant à 15 mille dollars. IIFME est ainsi le seul salon dans le monde à octroyer des prix monétaires aux inventeurs. Quant à la concurrence entre les deux salons ? pas de panique, car Genève tient le patronage du salon IIFME.

S’agissant du risque de l’espionnage industriel, pour y participer, il faut avoir un brevet pour éviter ce genre des problèmes. Mais attention au laps du temps car les brevets doivent être renouvelés, faute de quoi ils n’auront aucune validité.

Pour terminer, vis-à-vis de la commercialisation des inventions, qui est certes l’objectif final des exposants, Taji-Farouki nous donne un exemple d’un roumain qui est devenu riche suite à l’exposition de son invention au Salon de Genève, tout en rappelant qu’il y ait beaucoup d’exemples de produits dans notre vie quotidienne qui ne sont à la base qu’une invention présentée lors du Salon des Inventions de Genève, à titre d’exemple les brassards de sauvetage pour les enfants, le système de fermeture pour les chaussures. Le salon de Genève 2017 est encore friand de nombreuses inventions à venir. Mais pour les moins patients, la chance est toujours ouverte pour le Salon à Kuweit en novembre prochain.