Middle East and Northern Africa Region

ImagineNations has helped to launch a new initiative founded by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah of Qatar to address the critical need for jobs and opportunities for young people in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. ImagineNations has been closely involved with Her Highness and other leaders from across the region regarding potential approaches and has helped to shape the strategic direction and mission of the initiative called Silatech (meaning "your connection" in Arabic).

Diverse countries within the MENA region have been selected for pilots in the region, including: Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Tunisia and Yemen. In-depth studies have been conducted in each of these countries in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and local partners. Silatech intends to roll out its work to the 22 countries across the region over the next five years.

As with the other countries in which ImagineNations is working, this MENA initiative will mobilize interest, investment and action on behalf of the region's young people:

Influencing key policies that serve as barriers to youth entrepreneurship and the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) sector
Influencing cultural mindsets through the media and education
Creating job counseling, linkages and placements through both "place-based" and "technology-based" state-of-the-art-contact centers,
Unlocking access to a wide range of "youth friendly" financial products and services, including but not limited to, capital (equity, loans and grants) and business development services for aspiring entrepreneurs in the micro, small and medium-size enterprise sector

2008 Silatech-Financial Times Youth Summit

On June 1-2, 2008, in Doha, Qatar, ImagineNations' team played the key role in designing and planning a global youth investment summit, titled "On Young People and Employment in the Arab World." The Summit was co-hosted by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned and Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times. The Silatech-Financial Times Summit created an important platform for building connections and relationships among international and regional leaders interested in investing in job creation and sustainable development for the young people in the Arab World.