If challenges alone created opportunity, the Middle East would be primed for social enterprise. Several countries across the region have youth unemployment rates hovering above 30 percent; job creation is needed far more than job seekers. Meanwhile, governments are struggling to cope with a range of social needs and market failures, exacerbated by humanitarian crises and conflict.
So no wonder social enterprise is a buzzword at the moment in the region, and being seen as a way to solve serious problems while employing growing numbers of youth. Countless governments, philanthropists and NGOs are pushing to foster and promote entrepreneurs. The idea of social enterprise is cropping up everywhere from finance and transport to refugee employment and healthcare.
About the author
Elizabeth Dickinson@dickinsonbeth
Elizabeth Dickinson is associate editor at Devex. Based in the Middle East, she has previously served as Gulf correspondent for The National, assistant managing editor at Foreign Policy, and Nigeria correspondent at The Economist. Her writing also appeared in The New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Politico Magazine, and Newsweek, among others.
