G20 Meetings: Five Initiatives to Address Obstacles Facing Youth Entrepreneurship

Journalists sit in the media center during the meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 22, 2020/File Photo
Journalists sit in the media center during the meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 22, 2020/File Photo
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G20 Meetings: Five Initiatives to Address Obstacles Facing Youth Entrepreneurship

Journalists sit in the media center during the meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 22, 2020/File Photo
Journalists sit in the media center during the meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 22, 2020/File Photo

The Entrepreneur Union Summit, which is held on the sidelines of the G20 meetings, currently chaired by Saudi Arabia, announced on Sunday the adoption of five initiatives to promote youth entrepreneurship around the world.

Those include addressing the obstacles faced by young entrepreneurs in obtaining capital, supporting training programs and entrepreneurship education, developing a sustainable future economy, in addition to resolving trade barriers and enhancing economic and social resilience by taking advantage of digitization.

“Despite the economic difficulties that we have witnessed during the Covid-19 pandemic, the year 2020 has highlighted the flexibility of entrepreneurs and emerging companies in their quest to develop new opportunities and find creative ways to display their excellence,” Prince Fahd bin Mansour bin Nasser, Chairman of the Young Entrepreneurs Union Summit of the Saudi G20, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

He continued: “SMEs and entrepreneurs are among the main business makers in the G20 countries. They employ more than two-thirds of the workforce in the private sector, and provide more than 80 percent of net job growth.”

The summit’s closing statement was based on the recommendations of the research carried out on the entrepreneurship system in the G20 countries and came in line with the priorities of the B20 business groups, especially with regards to development and employment within SMEs.

During the meetings, participants stated that at a time when the world begins to repair the economic damage caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus and to search for ways to pay record levels of government debts, the potential of entrepreneurs must be harnessed to stimulate a new generation that would work on sustainable and inclusive growth.



Morocco’s Royal Air Maroc Scales Back Flights Due to Fuel Costs

 People board a Royal Air Maroc flight on July 15, 2020 at Bordeaux airport. (AFP)
People board a Royal Air Maroc flight on July 15, 2020 at Bordeaux airport. (AFP)
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Morocco’s Royal Air Maroc Scales Back Flights Due to Fuel Costs

 People board a Royal Air Maroc flight on July 15, 2020 at Bordeaux airport. (AFP)
People board a Royal Air Maroc flight on July 15, 2020 at Bordeaux airport. (AFP)

Morocco's state-owned carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) said on Saturday it would temporarily suspend several routes to African and European destinations due to ‌rising jet ‌fuel prices, ‌elevated ⁠operating costs and ⁠weak demand.

Tensions in the Middle East have driven a surge in global jet fuel ⁠prices, putting ‌pressure ‌on carriers and ‌prompting temporary route suspensions.

RAM ‌will pause flights linking Moroccan airports with several African cities ‌of Bangui, Brazzaville, Kinshasa, Douala, Yaounde and ⁠Libreville, ⁠the airline said in a statement.

It will also halt flights to the European destinations of Malaga, Barcelona, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille and Brussels.


Official: Iraq Has Not Yet Applied for an IMF Loan

A floating oil export platform in Basra port, Iraq (Reuters)
A floating oil export platform in Basra port, Iraq (Reuters)
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Official: Iraq Has Not Yet Applied for an IMF Loan

A floating oil export platform in Basra port, Iraq (Reuters)
A floating oil export platform in Basra port, Iraq (Reuters)

Financial Advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister Mazhar Mohammed Saleh revealed on Saturday that Iraq has not yet submitted a formal request for a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The Iraqi News Agency quoted Saleh as saying that “Iraq enjoys close relations with the IMF, and since 2003, it has concluded more than five agreements, three of which were Stand-by Arrangements, while the other agreements related to emergency support.”

Iran's war has caused significant disruptions in supply chains, especially in the energy sector, which was severely affected by a near-complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of global oil supplies pass.

Saleh stated that “the Fund has played a significant role in supporting the Iraqi economy over the past 23 years, especially since Iraq is now considered one of the biggest victims of the ongoing war in the region, considering that 85 percent of its oil exports pass through the Strait of Hormuz. This has caused significant harm and international concern, given that Iraq is an important and active member in the stability of the region and world markets.”

He pointed out that there is an Iraqi government team in contact with the IMF, meeting with Fund officials for consultations twice a year.

He clarified that “Iraq signed an agreement with the IMF on July 7, 2016, for a Stand-by Arrangement by providing a significant loan, which played a major role in supporting the general budget,” noting that “signing an agreement with the Fund is a matter decided by the Iraqi government, and this does not prevent consultations between the two parties, as Iraq is a member of this institution responsible for global stability.”

Saleh mentioned that “Iraq will borrow from the International Monetary Fund if the need arises, but there is no formal request from the government yet, and the current need is for the war in the region to stop, and for its geopolitical impacts on oil exports to cease.”

He added that “technical assistance from the IMF is available now, unlike the issue of financing, which requires the approval of a program by the Iraqi government.”

He explained that “the loan itself represents a reform program to support the budget or to achieve social goals, such as supporting the health and education sectors, because it is a human investment that must be subject to conditions defining expenditure directions and commitment to a reform program agreed upon by the Iraqi state and the IMF.”


Mawani Adds CMA CGM’s Ocean Rise Express Service to Jeddah Port

Mawani Adds CMA CGM’s Ocean Rise Express Service to Jeddah Port
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Mawani Adds CMA CGM’s Ocean Rise Express Service to Jeddah Port

Mawani Adds CMA CGM’s Ocean Rise Express Service to Jeddah Port

The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) has added CMA CGM's Ocean Rise Express (OCR) shipping service to Jeddah Islamic Port, aiming to strengthen maritime connectivity between Saudi Arabia and global markets, support the smooth flow of supply chains, and increase the efficiency of port operations.

The OCR service will connect Jeddah to key international ports, including Kobe, Nagoya, and Yokohama in Japan; Xiamen, Yantian, and Nansha in China; Rotterdam in the Netherlands; Hamburg in Germany; and Southampton in the United Kingdom.

The route will utilize vessels with a capacity of up to 10,000 TEUs, according to SPA.

This addition aligns with Mawani’s efforts to enhance Jeddah Islamic Port’s global competitiveness and support international trade.

By enabling access to new markets, the initiative reinforces the Kingdom's position as a global logistics hub in line with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy and Saudi Vision 2030.