London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Oct 19, 2025

One million Small and Medium Businesses across the Middle East and Africa to benefit from free resources and special offers

One million Small and Medium Businesses across the Middle East and Africa to benefit from free resources and special offers

Empower, educate and engage the world around you: Alliance of leading companies to support SME sector to digitize and adapt given its critical importance to jobs and economies.
Dubai, UAE, 16 March 2021: A new private sector initiative launching today will provide help to hundreds of thousands of small to medium enterprises in digitizing their sales and operations throughout the Middle East and Africa. Led by the social enterprise Potential.com, the campaign brings together a number of global organizations including Aramex, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco, Schneider Electric and the World Free Zone Organization who will offer small to medium business owners free resources, advice and services that’ll help them adapt to a post-pandemic economy.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the cornerstone of economies throughout the world,
accounting for over 90 percent of all businesses and providing a major source of new job creation according to the Internationa Monetary Fund. In Saudi Arabia as an example, SMEs constitute up to 99 percent of all private businesses, account for 64 percent of employment and contribute 20 percent of the Kingdom’s gross domestic product. While in in South Africa, SMEs account for 91% of businesses, 60% of employment and contribute 52% of total GDP.
“SMEs are the lifeblood of economies, and we need to step up and support them,” said Shadi Banna, Founder and CEO, Potential.com. “Last year transformed economies, with every business prioritizing digitization efforts. Through our collaboration with leading organisations, we’re here to support the SME do just that. Our goal is to empower over one million businesses in the first twelve months of this initiative, and I encourage more firms and governments to get involved. The more we do now, the stronger our economies will be and the greater the opportunity for job creation in the months and years ahead.”

SMEs can join the platform for free and use video-based courses to help them create their digitization action plans whilst collecting points. These points allow them to unlock special offers, including free expert sessions on topics that are relevant to them and their industries, as well as additional resources to help them reduce costs and improve their digital systems. The program will also help SMEs to network with their peers in a pan-regional online community, to support greater peer-to-peer collaboration and make the sharing of advice simpler.

Faris Muqdadi, Global Director - Transactional Account Management at Aramex, said: “At Aramex, we recognize the importance of supporting and empowering SMEs to create their own opportunities. Therefore, we have been very keen since inception to facilitate access to various logistical services and solutions for SMEs from different industries so that we actively contribute to their growth and development process, and help them compete not only locally, but at a global scale. We look forward to keep contributing to the prosperity of this integral sector which will be reflected positively to the overall economy.”

Vinod Krishnan, Head of Middle East, Amazon Web Services (AWS), said, “SMEs and startups play an important role in driving innovative solutions and closing the gap for the region’s digital needs. In light of the pandemic, ensuring that this segment of the economy remains resilient and is setup for future growth is critical. Through Potential.com's initiative, we look forward to supporting startups with the AWS Activate program to help them realize the full benefits of cloud computing. AWS Activate provides a variety of resources including AWS credits, trainings, and mentorship, as well as business and technical support to help companies scale and grow.”

“SMEs play a vital role in developing our national economies, be it job creation, adding competition to the marketplace or driving innovation. Ensuring their success remains a not only an ideal, but in fact, our collective duty. When devising or evolving one’s digital transformation agenda, access to the right counsel and resources are key. Through this initiative, we are pleased to be playing our role, accelerating support and potential growth outcomes for the region’s SMEs,” said Hani Raad, Managing Director of SME at Cisco Middle East and Africa.

“SMEs are the fundamental driver of economies throughout the region, and we want to play our part in helping them become both more digital and also more sustainable,” said Remi Pages, Services Vice President Middle East and Africa at Schneider Electric. “ We at Schneider Electric see ourselves as an enabler, especially in the space of energy efficiency and automation. We’re looking forward to working with Potential.com and all the other organizations in this partnership to help SMEs become stronger, so they can play their role in a green economic recovery.”

To help in reaching out to the SMEs, the alliance will be partnering with governments, chambers and multilateral organizations such as World Free Zone Organization to bring the program to various communities across the world.

“As the global association for Free Zones, we recognize the importance of SMEs as the backbone of any economy and as a vital part of the Free Zone ecosystem. With more than 3 million SMEs located in Free Zones one of our early mandates has always been the sharing of knowledge, experience, and administrative skills as well as collaboration to encourage global investment and trade expansion, by transforming free zones into hubs for entrepreneurs. By taking part in this initiative, we take one more important step towards giving them the right tools to grow and make meaningful contributions to their local economies.” – said Dr Samir Hamrouni, CEO, World Free Zone Organization.

Over the coming months, as governments join this effort, the platform will be customised for individual countries and sectors to align with the priorities and support programs available in those countries.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
×