The Impact of the Saudi Fast Growth 100

The second annual list of Saudi Arabia's fastest growing emerging businesses was released last night at an Awards Gala at SAGIA's 4th Annual Global Competitiveness Forum in Riyadh.

The list reveals a diverse array of robust companies, the majority founded by young and ambitions entrepreneurs -- both male and female. Saudi Fast Growth 100 winners all have a track record of extraordinary revenue growth, while accounting for the creation of thousands of new jobs.



Read the FULL LIST of winners.

Culture of Peace

"As defined by the United Nations, the Culture of Peace is a set of values, attitudes, modes of behaviour and ways of life that reject violence and prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes to solve problems through dialogue and negotiation among individuals, groups and nations..."

So far, the "Culture of Peace" has obtained 225 signatures from 14 organizations in Saudi Arabia.

There is some potentially useful information on the UNESCO site- including contact information of 3 active private individuals, as well as the Saudi National Commission for UNESCO (in Riyadh), and the UNESCO office in Doha.

Thoughts on how we could do a "Culture of Peace" event in Jeddah?

Facebook in the Kingdom

Minister Abdulaziz Khoja, Saudi Minister of Information, and a former Saudi Ambassador to Turkey, Russia, Morocco and Lebanon... has a facebook page.

Yes... a facebook page.

I hesitate to dive into all the hype surrounding "new media" and "web 2.0" as a revolutionary tool, but this move undeniably sends a significant message: Saudi Arabia, a country which has a track-record of blocking and restricting access to these types of sites in the past, now has an Information Minister who is embracing the networking site and using it to communicate with the public. HOW it will be used remains to be seen, but so far the minister has communicated with the public about emergency situations, and even conducted online interviews.

This seems to signify that the ministry is finally taking online communications seriously- a move in the right direction, as the Saudi public clearly has something to say. Doubtful? Check out the "Saudi Bloggers" social network (hosted on ning.com) - a social network that brings together bloggers from Saudi Arabia.

Faisal J. Abbas, London-based International Arab Affairs and Media Commentator for the Huffington Post, did a quick Facebook-interview with the Minister, who explained why he decided to join Facebook:

I felt the need to reach out to the young generation and to speak the same language they do... Since we live in the age of communication I felt the need to cope with all the technological advancement, and finally King Abdullah orders us to serve the people in every way possible

What does this mean for youth in Saudi Arabia? What does this mean for the future of communications-transparency-public diplomacy-etc... in Saudi Arabia? I guess we shall see...

Lingerie Lessons in Jeddah

A group of 26 mostly Saudi women completed a course on how to fit, stock and sell underwear, in hopes that this type of training would help boost a campaign to lift the ban on women selling lingerie in the kingdom.

After 40 hours of instruction, using bras donated by Victoria's Secret, the women held a ceremony at Dar Al Hekma College in Jeddah on Tuesday. How did Victoria's Secret find out about this push in Saudi Arabia? Facebook. Once again, smart use of open-source tools can build networks that were previously near impossible to build.

The 10-day training course occured just three months after the launch of a campaign to boycott lingerie stores until they employ women. The aim of the boycott? Simply the implementation of an existing law (passed in 2006) which says only female staff can be employed in women's colthing stores.

According to Reem Asaad (a finance lecturer at the college and the main force behind the boycott campaign) the course was the idea of Dr. Suhair al-Qurashi, Dean of Dar al-Hekma College.

"She wanted the training to be a part of the solution because the industry was complaining that there's a lack of qualified (women) in the market who can run and manage lingerie stores," said Asaad. "So we covered fitting and technical issues, we covered selling and handling customer complaints."

British consul-general of Jeddah, Kate Rudd, attended the ceremony to show her support.

Let Her Get Fat!

"Let her get fat!" is the new cry from the women of Saudi Arabia who are challenging a a recent clampdown on female-only gyms.

Following a recent increase in unlicensed female gyms, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs recently closed two in Jeddah and one in Dammam for not having a license.

Why? Female gyms have no official authority overseeing them, so while male gyms get licenced by the government, female gyms are technically illegal.

In a religious opinion published in Okaz newspaper, Sheikh Abdullah al-Maneea (member of the official Supreme Council of Religious Scholars) explained that "Football and basketball are sports that require a lot of movement and jumping," and suggested that such excessive movement may harm girls who are still virgins, possibly causing them to lose their virginity.

According to an article from Reuters, "women's gyms can only exist inside hospitals as 'health centres' supervised by the Ministry of Health but prices are so high, at least 1,000 riyals ($266) a month, that only the affluent can afford membership. Cheaper versions have sprung up under name 'beauty salon' or 'studio' but now their future is in doubt."

Madawi Al-Hassoun of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce said the chamber has been trying for three years to find a government body prepared to take on board licensing female gyms.

Considering the high rates of diabetes and even bone frailty among women, and the fact that the Ministry of Health says it does want to combat these issues, is there any way to solve this issue without upsetting religious clerics or government entities?

Women and "Wasta"

"Wasta", an Arabic expression that loosely translates into ‘who you know’ or 'clout', refers to using influence or connections to get things done (such as quick renewal of a passport, waiving fines/tickets, and acquiring sought-after jobs).

While "wasta" is deeply ingrained in Middle East culture, it is not unique to Middle Eastern culture- dare I say... a global phenomenon... or perhaps even a global tradition?

AmericanBedu (a blog by an American expat living in Saudi Arabia) discussed the issue on her blog this week. She says:

I know of several western women who are married to Saudis and have been in the Kingdom for more than 25 years. They not only are married to prominent Saudis but they also are successful and influential in their own rights. These women certainly do have their own WASTA network. They have shared that they do need to be watchful of who approaches them. It is not unusual for others (men and women) to seek such women out not for who they are as an individual but due to the perception that association with such women raises their own status in the Kingdom and falsely ensures them of having WASTA as well. Examples of how foreign women are approached and asked to exert WASTA include in finding jobs for others; facilitating healthcare and getting appointments with doctors who are usually booked up; assisting in marriage approvals; assistance with transferring iqamas or receiving no-objections; assist with getting children admitted to specific international schools.

Thoughts?

While I understand how this phenomenon works in other parts of the world, I am less familiar with the way it works in the Arab world- and more specifically in Saudi Arabia. I am curious:

• how do women develop "wasta"?
• is it passed via marriage?
• what about non-Saudis?
• what about those who were not born into priviledge?

Photo courtesy of Springglobe's photostream

College women serve Jeddah

Since the spring semester of 2007, students at Dar Al Hekma College (an all-girls college in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) have given 14,000 hours of their time to serving their community.  

The "Social Responsibility Unit" at Dar Al Hekma is the unit through which students complete the 100 hours of community service required for graduation.  

Students have thus far spent their hours visiting, planning, and designing activities at various organizations throughout Jeddah, as well as fundraising activities, and advocacy work for non-profits. 

While these activities are not necessarily "social entrepreneurship", it is clear that:

1)  Interest in community service and responsibility exists throughout the Kingdom, and especially among the youth. This interest can be taken a step further (into sustainable enterprise) if students are given the necessary tools to turn community responsibility into a sustainable business.

2)  Saudi Arabia, and Islam overall, have a deep-rooted tradition in community service.  The religious and cultural focus of Islam on charity and giving to the community is an ideal that can, and should, be made sustainable.  

Community responsibility should not be on our minds only a few times per year- it should be a consistent part of our daily lives. 

(photo courtesy of Emily Tavoulareas)

Social Responsibility in the Kingdom

As the U.S.-Saudi Women’s Forum on Social Entrepreneurship takes shape, we are very excited to hear that the Saudi Ministry of Social Affairs has made "Social Responsibility" a national priority.

In case you have not yet heard, the first three days of February 2009, the first ever Forum on "Social Responsibility and the Participation of Public and Private Sectors" was held in Riyadh's Al-Faisaliah Hotel.

The Forum highlighted the importance of partnership between the public and private sectors, and their roles in promoting community responsibility. The Ministry of Social Affairs is aiming to create and promote a culture of social responsibility in Saudi Arabia.

Among the over 400 participants, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah was in attendance, and called for launching collaborative social projects with a focus on the reintegration of the "underprivileged section of society".  Additionally, Minister of Social Affairs Yusuf Al-Othaimin stated that one of the aims of the Forum is the "building of dialogues between the public and private sectors and encouragement of media to support social responsibility programs”.

We are pleased to be promoting social responsibility in the Kingdom at a time that the country is seeking to increase awareness about social responsibility and identify community needs.

Stay with us and we'll keep you informed!


(photo from Mohammad Al-Rehaili's photostream)