Business & Money | Tuesday 1 May, 2018 12:51 pm |

Fifty-two women have completed the five-day long “Entrepreneur Development Camps”, the first phase of the Badiri Business Entrepreneurship Programme (BBEP 2018), which aims at building the capacity of women in the Emirate of Sharjah, enabling them to become successful entrepreneurs.

 

A brainchild of the Badiri Education and Development Academy, the education and capacity development arm of NAMA Women Advancement Establishment, BBEP is a mindset changing and entrepreneurship training programme, especially tailored for UAE women to strengthen their business acumen and enhance their entrepreneurial skills.

 

BBEP targets UAE-based women aged 18 and above residing in the central and north-eastern regions of Sharjah, as these areas have limited employment opportunities, and provides them with the skills and tools to operate their own sustainable businesses.

 

The four camps that were conducted in Sharjah, Al Dafeen, Kalba and Khorfakkan, since April 9 have seen a great turnout and is currently being at the Sharjah Campus of the University of Sharjah, until May 10.

 

BBEP is still accepting registrations for the upcoming two workshops in Sharjah and Al Dhaid, that will run between May 6-10, between 09:00am to 03:00pm.  

 

All of BBEPs workshops and training sessions are fully sponsored by Badiri Academy to ensure maximum participation from women who aspire to learn more about the world of entrepreneurship and want to turn their ideas into a business success.

 

Reem BinKaram, Director of NAMA said: “The Badiri Business Entrepreneurship Programme, which was known as JEEL in its first two editions, has equipped more than 50 women with the foundational intellectual tools to begin their individual journeys in business and entrepreneurship. More than 10 graduates of the programme are now either operating their own businesses in their communities or starting them.”

 

“Through this programme, held in collaboration with Education for Employment, University of Sharjah and Shbeemann Consulting, NAMA and Badiri Academy aim to empower women to become successful entrepreneurs and business owners. BBEP can be viewed as a solid support system for women in Sharjah who want to advance their business skills.”

 

The “Entrepreneur Development Camps” focus on developing participants’ key entrepreneurship competencies, such as self-awareness, critical and creative thinking, communication and presentation skills, effective goal-setting and identifying and framing ideas using techniques like SWOT analysis, mind mapping, setting smart goals and team work.

 

The completion of one of these camps is a pre-requisite for the second phase of BBEP 2018, which will commence in September and end in December. This phase will include intensive training in innovation and entrepreneurship, paired with business coaching, mentorship and incubator support.

 

The final stage of BBEP 2018 will see its participants pitch their business ideas to a jury for constructive feedback. In previous editions, the jury panel has featured evaluators from the Khalifa Fund, who have offered funding to help turn some of these ideas into new business enterprises.  

 

Shams Al Muhairi, an Emirati who finished the first Sharjah workshop, said, “I have benefited greatly from the Entrepreneurship Development Camp. I really liked how they helped us shape our business ideas in a way that we can now further build on to bring to an executable stage. One of the main highlights of the workshop for me was the way in which we were encouraged to self-reflect and understand ourselves better, and put that learning within the context of setting personal business goals and working towards them.”  

 

Marah Qadura, one of the participants at the same workshop, said, “I have learned things like critical and creative thinking from this interesting and engaging workshop. It also taught me how to ask the right questions to get the right answers, and helped me discover myself. The energy during the workshop was great and the team mentoring us was amazing. I can now confidently come up with a new idea for a project and start implementing it.”

 

 

Established by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, NAMA Women Advancement Establishment is chaired by his wife, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi.

 

NAMA’s core philosophy is to raise awareness that women are an indispensable human resource for the development of every nation. NAMA was conceived to go beyond the remit of supporting women and ensuring gender equality to a broader scope that aims to see women become influential key members of society, thereby enabling them to climb the ladder of success.

 

It encourages policies and legislation to support women and actively pursues programmes that support gender integration into all sectors.

 

Three entities, namely Sharjah Business Women Council, Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council and Badiri Education and Development Academy, fall under the umbrella of NAMA Women Advancement Establishment.