Queen Rania inaugurates entrepreneurship talent exhibition

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Wednesday attended the launch of Oasis500's new investment track, the Creative Industries Fund, which will support and invest in artistic and cultural entrepreneurship. 

The fund will target talented entrepreneurs in all the Kingdom's governorates, and aims to help them transform their ideas into fruitful projects that can contribute to the economy, according to a statement released by the Queen's office.

Her Majesty also inaugurated and toured the Entrepreneurial Talent Exhibition, which features artistic creations by 20 Jordanian entrepreneurs. Queen Rania reviewed the ideas behind the different projects which ultimately aim to harvest, through the medium of arts and culture, sustainable and income-generating ventures that serve economic development in the country.

Her Majesty met with the artists who participated in the exhibition and expressed her admiration of their creations, saying that their talent and thirst for success is evident in their work.

The Queen was accompanied by Omar Razzaz, chairman of King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD), Marwan Juma, Oasis500 vice chairman, and Qais Qatamin, director of KAFD.

Following the tour, Her Majesty watched a presentation explaining the goals and ambitions of the Creative Industries Fund, which was launched with the cooperation of KAFD. 

The fund will be working with around 100 experts and 70 investors who will provide entrepreneurs with the guidance and financial support they need to complete their projects. At present, the fund hopes to invest in 20 companies.

Pointing out that the art scene in Jordan has great potential in contributing to the development of the economy, Queen Rania stressed the importance of building partnerships between entrepreneurs and investors so that new opportunities in this field can better be explored.

Oasis500 CEO Yousef Hamidaddin said the Creative Industries Fund was launched after Oasis500 managed to identify the art market's need for support and investment, as well as the need for expertise in the field of business enhancement, the statement said. 

Hamidaddin noted that after spending around three years focusing on projects in the fields of ICT and digital content, he believes the time is right for Oasis500 to embark on new adventures exploring new industries, adding that entrepreneurship is not limited to any specific field.

He also pointed out that through this new track, Oasis500 aims at producing arts and media projects to support the national economy. 

Hamidaddin underscored that the fund will focus on supporting young talents in all governorates in order to achieve sustainable development in the country.

Supporting young entrepreneurs is a top priority at KAFD, Razzaz said, especially since the country's future rests on the shoulders of its youths. 

He added that transforming entrepreneurs from jobseekers to job owners helps decrease unemployment rates and improves the national economy. 

Razzaz also touched on the importance of such projects in increasing Jordan's exports.

Omar Al Sharif, the Creative Entrepreneurship Project director at Oasis500, said the new investment track will support entrepreneurs in different creative sectors, including industrial design, architectural engineering, fashion and furniture design, publishing and electronic journalism, music, movie making and theatrical arts, digital art and animation, as well as handicraft industries.

Sharif explained that this track comprises different programmes, adding that Oasis500 has launched a dual language programme, in both Arabic and English, so as to reach as many entrepreneurs as possible across the Kingdom.

The Creative Industries Fund is the third investment track that Oasis500 has been working on since its establishment in 2010. The first two tracks mainly focus on enhancing entrepreneurial business ideas in the ICT sector.

Investment track programmes  

• Training in business skills and professional communication
• Training in the field of the required area of specialisation
• Primary investment
• Business enhancement
• Creating new opportunities and launching companies in global and Arab regional markets
• Identifying new guides within the required scope of specialisation
• Introducing participants to publishing houses, and to new investors