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.



Oil Prices Fall as Demand Concerns Overshadow Libyan Export Halt

FILE - The drilling rig of the Kingfisher oil field, operated by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), is seen on the shores of Lake Albert in the Kikuube district of western Uganda Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda, File)
FILE - The drilling rig of the Kingfisher oil field, operated by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), is seen on the shores of Lake Albert in the Kikuube district of western Uganda Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda, File)
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Oil Prices Fall as Demand Concerns Overshadow Libyan Export Halt

FILE - The drilling rig of the Kingfisher oil field, operated by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), is seen on the shores of Lake Albert in the Kikuube district of western Uganda Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda, File)
FILE - The drilling rig of the Kingfisher oil field, operated by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), is seen on the shores of Lake Albert in the Kikuube district of western Uganda Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda, File)

Brent oil prices fell on Tuesday as sluggish economic growth in China, the world's biggest crude importer, increased worries about demand that overshadowed the impact of the halt of production and exports from Libya.
Brent crude futures were down 17 cents, or 0.2%, to $77.35 a barrel by 0620 GMT, Reuters reported.
West Texas Intermediate crude futures, which did not settle on Monday because of the US Labor Day holiday, were up 50 cents, or 0.7%, at $74.05 a barrel.
"Oil remains under pressure given lingering Chinese demand concerns. Weaker-than-expected PMI data over the weekend would have done little to ease these worries," said Warren Patterson of ING, adding that demand jitters are offsetting the Libyan supply disruptions.
China's purchasing managers' index (PMI) hit a six-month low in August. On Monday, the country reported new export orders in July fell for first time in eight months, and new home prices grew in August at their weakest pace this year.
In Libya, oil exports at major ports were halted on Monday and production curtailed across the country, six engineers told Reuters, continuing a standoff between rival political factions over control of the central bank and oil revenue.
The country's National Oil Corp (NOC) declared force majeure on its El Feel oil field from Sept. 2. Total production had plunged to little more than 591,000 barrels per day (bpd) as of Aug. 28 from nearly 959,000 bpd on Aug. 26, NOC said. Production was at about 1.28 million bpd on July 20, the company said.
Still, some supply is set to return to the market as eight members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and affiliates, known as OPEC+, are scheduled to boost output by 180,000 bpd in October. The plan is likely to go ahead regardless of demand worries, according to industry sources.
OPEC planners may decide that the expected upcoming cuts in US interest rates and the Libyan outage provides space for the addition of more oil, RBC Capital analyst Helima Croft said in a note.
"In our view, a prolonged Libyan outage could support Brent prices" around $85 a barrel, even with additional supply coming onto the market in the fourth quarter, she said.