Qatar Chamber and UNIDO Launch Qatari Entrepreneurship Model

Qatar Chamber has launched an integrated Qatari model for entrepreneurship and innovation, built with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and aimed squarely at women and young entrepreneurs. The announcement came on October 27 in Doha during a meeting at Qatar Chamber's headquarters between Board Member Ibtihaj Al Ahmadani, who also chairs the Qatari Businesswomen Forum, and UNIDO Deputy Director General Fatou Haidara.

The guest list signals the scope of the project. Acting General Manager of Qatar Chamber Ali Bu Sherbak Al Mansoori attended, alongside Dr. Hashem Suleiman Hussein, Head of UNIDO's Investment and Technology Promotion Office (ITPO), and Dr. Khaled Hanafy, Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers.

What does the model actually rest on?

The framework leverages the strategic cooperation between Qatar Chamber and UNIDO to empower entrepreneurs, with a particular focus on women and youth. By refining the model locally first, Qatar Chamber and UNIDO aim to transfer the experience and expand its application at regional and international levels.

At the core sits UNIDO's Entrepreneurship Development and Investment Promotion (EDIP) methodology, currently implemented across 56 countries worldwide. Dr. Hussein said the shared vision applies and adapts EDIP to create what he called a pioneering Qatari model — one that fosters a culture of entrepreneurship, provides a supportive ecosystem for promising businesses to scale, and attracts high-quality investment.

The execution runs through two institutions: Qatar Chamber's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center and UNIDO's Investment and Technology Promotion Office, which collaborate directly on the programme.

Who has already been trained?

The partnership has produced concrete output. Al Ahmadani highlighted the 'Training of Trainers Programme in Entrepreneurship and Innovation', organised by Qatar Chamber in partnership with UNIDO's ITPO. The programme brought together 30 experts and representatives from entities across Qatar's entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem — public- and private-sector organisations as well as institutions supporting startups and innovation.

Al Ahmadani commended the strategic partnership between Qatar Chamber and UNIDO, particularly in the fields of entrepreneurship and innovation. The discussions in Doha also covered women's entrepreneurship, with the Qatari Businesswomen Forum positioned as a pivotal vehicle for promoting women's active participation in economic and investment activities, plus the building of strategic partnerships with women entrepreneurs globally.

How does this fit Qatar's economic strategy?

Acting General Manager Al Mansoori said the Chamber is committed to promoting entrepreneurship and innovation as key drivers of economic diversification and private-sector growth. He pointed to cooperation with UNIDO in developing the Chamber's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center and supporting startups through four channels:

• training
• incubation
• business acceleration
• access to financing and markets

UNIDO's Haidara commended what she called the fruitful cooperation between the organisation and Qatar Chamber, emphasising the crucial role of the private sector in supporting sustainable industrial development and driving innovation. She expressed keenness to expand cooperation with Qatar Chamber in the coming period to enhance investment opportunities in Qatar, regionally, and internationally. She also stressed leveraging the shared capabilities of both sides to support entrepreneurs and startups while developing joint initiatives in innovation and industrial development.

Can the Qatari model travel?

Dr. Hussein said cooperation with Qatar Chamber opens broad prospects for establishing an integrated and enabling environment for entrepreneurship and innovation. He added that the initiative is intended not only to serve the national economy but also to position Qatar as a regional and international platform for sharing expertise and successful practices.

That, according to Dr. Hussein, will pave the way for exporting the Qatari entrepreneurship and innovation model globally — reinforcing Qatar's standing as an international hub for innovation and sustainable economic development. If the local refinement works, a framework tested on 30 Qatari experts becomes a product Doha sells to the world.