On June 2, 2025, SPARK launched a first regional webinar as part of its Green Forward programme, funded by the European Union. Titled “Unlocking opportunities for Business Support Organizations (BSOs) and MSMEs in the circular economy”, the regional webinar brought together over 60 participants from across the MENA region. Launched in the context of the EU Green Week and the World Environment Day, this first webinar session gathered experts from Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine, providing a rich, cross-sectoral dialogue on how circular economy principles can be transformed from abstract concepts into tangible opportunities for green entrepreneurship and sustainable growth across the MENA region.

Moderated by Afef Ajengui, SPARK’s Regional Manager for Green Forward, the webinar convened key stakeholders from the meso and micro levels of some of the programme’s target countries: Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine. The objective of this first edition of “Green Forward Talks” webinar series was clear: to unpack the realities, barriers, and solutions for advancing the circular economy through the lens of local ecosystems, particularly by empowering BSOs and MSMEs.

The webinar featured Ms Menna Sabry, Environmental Policy Expert at Chemonics Egypt Consultants (Egypt); Mr Maisam Otoum, Jordan Country Director at Cewas (Jordan); Eng. Maen Obied Ayasrah, Director of the Centre of Energy and Environmental Sustainability in the Industry at the Jordan Chamber of Industry (Jordan); and Mr Faisal Kilani, Environmental and Social Development Specialist at Envision Sustainability Solutions and Flow Accelerator (Palestine).

A Shifting landscape: From trend to necessity

The discussion began with a critical framing of the circular economy, not as a passing trend, but as an urgent and necessary transition for economies under pressure from climate change, resource scarcity, and shifting global trade norms. The circular economy, participants agreed, is rooted in principles of resource efficiency, waste elimination, and regenerative systems. However, its implementation in the MENA region remains fragmented and uneven.

Engineer Maen Ayasrah, Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Sustainability at the Jordan Chamber of Industry, illustrated how the perception of sustainability has evolved in the industrial sector. What was once seen as a costly luxury is now understood as a strategic imperative. He shared compelling examples from Jordan, such as subsidized energy audits for MSMEs, tax exemptions on green inputs, and resource efficiency networks designed to foster peer learning among factories. These initiatives, he emphasised, have not only driven down costs but also opened new doors to international markets demanding environmentally responsible production.

“Export competitiveness is impossible without controlling environmental impact,” he asserted, underscoring the urgency for industry-wide transformation.

Gaps in the ecosystem

Despite promising initiatives, Menna Sabry, Environmental Policy Expert at Chemonics Egypt, pointed out that the current ecosystem heavily favors early-stage startups, often neglecting the needs of mid- to late-stage clean tech companies. While general business development support is widely available, specialised technical assistance especially for hardware-driven innovations is scarce. She stressed the importance of equipping BSOs with deep sector-specific expertise to effectively support the nuanced challenges of clean tech entrepreneurs.

Access to finance remains another persistent challenge. While pitch events and early-stage grants are common, they rarely address the financial needs of companies looking to scale. Mrs. Sabry advocated for more robust advisory services tailored to both entrepreneurs and financial institutions, drawing from Chemonics’ experience in Egypt where technical support to banks led to the creation of loan products for solar pumping systems.

She added, “Significant gaps persist, particularly in the areas of deep technical advisory, prototyping, and tailored financial services for mid- to late-stage cleantech SMEs.”

Rethinking the role of Business Support Organisations (BSOs)

A key theme running through the discussion was the evolving role of BSOs as connectors, translators, and enablers. Mr. Maisam Otoum, Country Director of Cewas Jordan, underscored that BSOs must do more than offer workshops and business advice. In the context of the circular economy, their responsibility includes demystifying material flows, helping entrepreneurs understand industry-specific value chains, and guiding them to build feasible and scalable business models.

“Start-ups need help understanding material flows, sector-specific challenges, and realistic cost models. Without that, even the best ideas can fail,” he warned.

Mr. Faisal Kilani, Managing Director of Envision Sustainability Solutions and local lead of Flow Accelerator in Palestine, added that BSOs also need to serve as ecosystem brokers. This includes helping MSMEs navigate policy environments, access technical assistance, and build partnerships with corporations, universities, and research institutions. In resource-constrained and politically unstable settings like Palestine or Lebanon, BSOs must act not just as service providers, but as strategic conveners.

“The region has the knowledge and the will. What we need now is more structured collaboration to scale what is already working,” he urged.

Mr. Kilani also highlighted low-cost or no-cost interventions like improving energy efficiency or optimizing packaging as concrete examples of how MSMEs can reap immediate benefits. These “quick wins,” when supported by the right technical advice, can lay the foundation for more complex circular transitions.

From policy to practice: Bridging the implementation gap

The disconnect between policy and ground-level implementation was a recurring concern. While many MENA countries have sustainability strategies on paper, these often remain unenforced or poorly translated into actionable frameworks. Panelists agreed that BSOs have a crucial role to play in translating these policies for entrepreneurs and advocating for reforms based on the realities MSMEs face.

Mrs. Sabry shared a compelling case from Egypt, where her team worked with UNIDO to conduct a policy analysis and engage clean tech service providers in dialogue. This led to the development of national standards for biofertilizers, a major milestone in aligning regulatory frameworks with market innovation. Such examples demonstrate how BSOs, when empowered and well-networked, can act as catalysts for regulatory change.

Regional collaboration: A shared learning space

As the webinar drew to a close, the conversation turned toward cross-border collaboration. All panelists agreed that the MENA region offers untapped opportunities for regional learning, replication, and innovation. Circular solutions piloted in Egypt or Jordan could inspire similar models in Tunisia or Morocco, provided the mechanisms exist to facilitate exchange.

SPARK’s Green Forward programme, through its multi-country setup and focus on peer learning, was recognized as an ideal platform to support this. Participants called for more structured collaboration, including cross-national toolkits, shared green innovation challenges, and technical missions between countries to accelerate mutual capacity building.

A Call to act collectively

This first Green Forward webinar made clear that the green transition in MENA will only succeed if local ecosystems are enabled to lead it. BSOs are central actors in this story. They speak both the language of policymakers and the language of entrepreneurs. But to truly unlock circular economy opportunities, they need more than funding; they need deeper technical knowledge, regional coordination, and long-term investment in trust-building.

The way forward lies in rethinking partnerships, investing in capability, and approaching circularity not as a buzzword, but as a pathway to inclusive, sustainable development.

Looking ahead: Green Forward Talks as a regional catalyst

As part of its ongoing efforts to raise awareness and connect green actors in the Southern Neighbourhood, SPARK will continue hosting Green Forward Talks, a series of thematic webinars and peer-learning sessions designed to share challenges, tools, and innovations among BSOs, green entrepreneurs, and development stakeholders. These dialogues serve not only to build knowledge but also to seed collaboration, inspire replication, and strengthen the enabling environments necessary for MENA’s green transformation.

Stay tuned for upcoming sessions and opportunities to engage across borders, sectors, and levels of the green economy. The next wave of innovation will not be isolated as it will be shared, supported and regionally scaled.