Sheikha Hanadi joins volunteers during yesterday’s appreciation event. Right: Al-Khaja.

By Peter Alagos/Business Reporter

Innovative ideas of young entrepreneurs have strong a potential to support the government’s thrust to diversify Qatar’s economy away from the hydrocarbon industry, Injaz Qatar executive director Emad al-Khaja said.
Al-Khaja said Injaz Qatar’s programmes, which fall under three pillars – work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy, “go hand-in-hand with the Qatar National Vision 2030.”
“Because the whole country is going towards this direction, Injaz Qatar supports any campaign that focuses on education and entrepreneurship. The economy needs more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
“That is why it is important to influence the youth and introduce this concept to them; it is never too early to start doing this,” al-Khaja told Gulf Times on the sidelines of its annual appreciation event held at the W Doha Hotel yesterday.
Asked about Qatar’s entrepreneurship culture, al-Khaja said the SME sector “is still developing but has great potential to do more.”
“But the amazing thing is that there is full support from the Qatar government; everyone is supporting this initiative and there are a lot of great projects that are aimed at stimulating the SME sector. Entrepreneurship is now the buzz word in the market; in real terms, it is still developing but I see a great future for it,” al-Khaja said.
Also, al-Khaja said Injaz Qatar is gearing up for “The Company Programme” slated on October at the Katara Hall. The programme provides students from independent secondary schools and universities to simulate operations of a real business for more than four months.
“During Company Programme, corporate volunteers guide the students through the full life cycle of a company – from setting up a board, raising capital, developing a business plan, producing, selling, all the way to liquidation,” al-Khaja explained.
He said the initiative is Injaz Qatar’s “most popular interactive programme,” and concludes during “Mubadara,” the annual young enterprise of the year competition.
“There will be a trade fair day prior to the Mubadara; it will be open to the public and people can view the students’ achievements and fruits of their work,” he said.
Citing the winner of the “Best Company of the Year” during Mubadara 2014, al-Khaja said MetFame is a student company from Qatar University that has grown to become a successful social media agency that provides creative, innovative, and cost-effective ideas for promoting businesses.
“MetFame is among the many success stories that Injaz Qatar is proud of,” he said.
During yesterday’s event, Injaz Qatar chairwoman Sheikha Hanadi bint Nasser bin Khaled al-Thani said: “Injaz has experienced a further period of growth in helping prepare the next generation of business leaders thus, supporting the Qatar National Vision 2030.”
She added: “The annual appreciation event for sponsors, volunteers, and corporate partners recognises their contribution to Injaz’s work of inspiring and preparing young people to become Qatar’s future business leaders.”