The “EBSOMED” Seminar - Enhancing Business Support Organizations and Business Networks in the Southern Neighborhood - kicked off in Laico Hotel in Tunisia with a remarkable success.
The President of the Lebanese Development Network (LDN) Amin Nehme participated in the event which gathered more than 150 prominent representatives of local authorities, international organizations, civil society platforms, academic institutions, private sector actors, in addition to a group of personalities with an outstanding commitment towards gender equality, women and young entrepreneurs, and media people from more than 15 Euro-Mediterranean countries.
The Welcoming Address started with a keynote speech by Jihen Boutiba, BUSINESSMED’s General Secretary. Boutiba argued that “business opportunities in the Mediterranean region are increasing, but more reinforcement is required for business supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.”
In her speech, President of BUSINESSMED’s General Confederation of Algerian Enterprise Saida Neghza said that “EBSOMED aims to boost investment opportunities and connect the southern region with Europe. The organization connects the primary actors from the private sector and entrepreneurs driven to participate in economic growth.”
In turn, Tunisia’s Minister of Women Nezeha Labidi stressed the role of the Tunisian women who constitute a major key for the national business development, and have strongly fought for their rights. The ministry is the front line to empower women in the Tunisian society, she added.
The event included as well three additional sessions on: 1) “Enhancing Inter and Intra-Regional Cooperation for an Inclusive and Sustainable Growth: The Role of Business Support Organizations in Addressing the Ongoing Needs of the Southern Neighbourhood,” 2) “Improving Business Support Organizations and Business Networks in the Southern Neighbourhood: A range of Higher-Value Services for BSOs and SMEs” and 3) “Northern and Southern BSOs’ Visions and Expectations of the EBSOMED Project.”
The seminar aims at presenting the regional project and all the activities that will be carried out in the view of Enhancing Business Support Organizations and Business Networks in the Southern Neighborhood, by highlighting also the engagement of the European Union in promoting the Euro-Mediterranean private sector ecosystem and a more inclusive economic growth.
It focuses also at creating an opportunity for economic actors and representatives of public and private sectors from the Euro-Mediterranean region to meet, discuss and foster new business partnerships.
EBSOMED is a four year project co-financed by the European Commission, led by the Union of Mediterranean Confederations of Enterprises (BUSINESSMED) and implemented by the MEDALLIANCE consortium consisting of 5 partners: EUROCHAMBRES (Association of Chambers of Commerce in Europe); ASCAME (Association of Chambers of Commerce in the Mediterranean); ANIMA Investment Network; CAWTAR (Center of Arab Women for Training and Research); GACIC (German-Arabic Chambers of Commerce).
