Mubasher: Youth across the MENA region are showing strong entrepreneurial intent, with 46% of workers expressing interest in starting their own business, according to a recent report by PwC Middle East.
Themed as ‘Future Ready MENA,’ the report titled ‘Why entrepreneurial capabilities are key to empowering MENA’s youth’ showed calls for investment in entrepreneurial skills to unlock youth potential, while highlighting the importance of mentorship.
It added that small business survival rates double when guided by experienced mentors. Meanwhile, mastery of emerging technologies like AI and digital platforms is seen as critical to future readiness, particularly as more than 1 billion jobs are expected to be disrupted globally by 2030.
PwC Middle East’s report further spotlighted the urgent need to equip MENA’s youth with the skills, behaviors and traits that drive entrepreneurial success.
Middle East Education Practice Leader at PwC Middle East, Roland Hancock, said: "Entrepreneurial capabilities are a driving resilience, innovation, and long-term relevance in the MENA region.”
Hancock elaborated: “By strategically investing in youth, inclusive innovation ecosystems, and future-focused skills today, we are addressing regional challenges and laying the foundation for global leadership across industries from AI and sustainability to digital transformation and beyond.”
The Leader concluded: “This transformation will benefit from extensive collaboration between governments, the private sector, academia, and civil society to create an environment where entrepreneurship can thrive.”
Success stories were highlighted in the report, including Talabat, Tamara, Swvl, and Tabby, which demonstrate how digitally native business models can scale rapidly when built on a foundation of entrepreneurial agility and technological competence.
Regional leaders, meanwhile, are urged to treat entrepreneurship as a strategic engine for job creation, innovation and competitiveness. As the world transitions into a knowledge-based, digital economy, equipping MENA’s youth with the right entrepreneurial capabilities could unlock unprecedented economic and social dividends.
With people under 25 making up nearly half of the MENA population and youth unemployment at 24%, the report calls for a bold shift in how the region nurtures talent, fosters innovation and drives inclusive economic transformation.
The report identified four priority strategies, namely structured entrepreneurship education, mentorship ecosystems, technological proficiency, and female empowerment, each essential to strengthening the region’s entrepreneurial pipeline.
