Qatar, Meta team up to develop enabled knowledge economy

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MoCIT) has partnered with Meta in support of its vision towards the transformation of Qatar into a digitally enabled knowledge economy. As part of this partnership, the Ministry will explore opportunities for collaboration with Meta covering key areas of community upskilling, SME digitization and economic support. The Ministry strives to foster a human-centric vision for the digital economy and society, making digital transformation a fully inclusive and transformative process for all businesses, from the small to the enterprise. As such, it has identified cooperation at an international level as a critical constituent in achieving its vision. The partnership with Meta is one such example where MoCIT will collaborate with Meta to leverage its expertise, resources, and best practices. Assistant Undersecretary of Digital Society Development at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology Reem Al Mansoori said, "The strategic partnership with Meta will complement and strengthen Qatar's efforts in supporting our small and medium enterprises in their digital transformation journeys which is extremely important for the economic and social development of the country." Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Meta Fares Akkad commented "We are inspired by the Ministrys efforts in building an integrated digital society. This partnership signifies our commitment to support local SMEs by providing them with necessary digital skills to recover and deliver results online and help further boost a burgeoning start-up ecosystem to positively impact socio-economic growth in Qatar." As part of the partnership, MoCIT and Meta have kicked off a national program in support of SME digitization and growth. Meta has launched for the first time a virtual SME hub in Qatar featuring a series of training webinars. The hub will also include a series of resources and will showcase local case studies and success stories to drive inspiration. Content will include training on how to: Creatively engage your audience with IG, Get started with Meta Business Suite, Get Creative with Ads, Reach your audience with personalized ads amongst others. The program is supported by local partners such as Aspire Zone Foundation, the Sport Accelerator, Qatar Science and Technology Park, Qatar Financial Center and Qatar Development Bank (QDB). President of Aspire Zone Foundation Eng. Hilal Al Kuwari said "Initiatives such as "Meta Boost Qatar" will promote SME digitization to achieve a resilient, sustainable and inclusive sports sector and unlock limitless opportunities for overall sector growth. Furthermore, this initiative identifies the much-needed training opportunities that best meet the sectors emerging needs and help SMEs acquire in-demand tech skills to become part of the thriving sports sector." Acting CEO of QDB Abdulrahman Hesham Al Sowaidi said "Our partnership with Meta is in line with the digital transformation endeavors taken by QDB, especially now that we have accelerated our digital solutions and e-commerce processes on a wider level due to the Covid-19 outbreak. " We are offering several initiatives on this front, including the NUMU digital platform and a new, specialized financing product that focuses on digitization solutions and technological tools for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), among others. We are pleased to collaborate on this initiative with national partners and we look forward to seeing its positive impact on Qatar's entrepreneurial ecosystem, while fulfilling the objectives of the national vision." he added. To mark the launch of this collaboration, Meta hosted an in-person event on the topics of SME Digitization and Upskilling at Qatar Business District. The event included guest speaker sessions, experts and followed by a "Meta Boost" workshop for SMEs to learn about the essentials of digital marketing.