Riyada programme
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5Higher Education Institutions
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15MSMEs
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150Startups
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20Financial grants
The historic restrictions and suppressed development in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, along with the near-blockade imposed on Gaza since 2007, have led the Palestinian economy to operate well below its potential.
Despite these significant obstacles to private sector development, growth and stability, the region has been home to a burgeoning entrepreneurial ecosystem that has, over time, created significant social dividends at the core of Palestinian resilience.
The Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development and SPARK have developed the 13-month RIYADA project that aims to support Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Business Support Centres (BSCs) in enhancing their capabilities to provide essential services to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), as well as to support youth ideas in becoming real startups.
The programme aims to increase the capacity of BSCs to efficively accelerate the development of existing MSMEs. Furthermore, Riyada focuses on upskilling entrepreneurs and supporting them to transform their ideas into real businesses through bootcamps, seed funding and mentorship.
- Active locations
- Palestinian Territories
Programme features
Assisting 5 Business Support Centers (BSCs) and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in evaluating their current capabilities and identifying gaps in the business support services they offer to entrepreneurs. With comprehensive assessments and consultations to ensure these centers can upgrade their capacity and update their knowledge to meet the needs of more entrepreneurs
Facilitating the growth and development of 15 already-established MSMEs, through training workshops, bootcamps and technical guidance from expert mentors
Enhancing the skills of 150 entrepreneurs to launch their own businesses through training workshops, pitching competitions, and seed funding
20 startups will receive seed funding to launch their operations. After completing their training, these startups will participate in a pitching competition, where the winners will be awarded grants
