Israel, Morocco Commended As They Host Female Business Leaders Across The Continents

Nearly 100 female business leaders from across the four continents, gathered in Morocco recently, for “Women Connect to Innovate”. The Gathering was aimed at forging new business collaborations, and exploring the role of innovation in empowering women to generate prosperity in the region.

The event which was hosted by Israel’s Start-Up Nation, Central and Morocco’s CPR, brought together women from Bahrain, Benin, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, the United States, and others. It focused on the shared challenges faced in the Middle East and Africa, and how they are defined not just by geography, culture or religion, but by how these impact women’s access to financial security, education and the basic infrastructure that enables opportunities for women to lead.

Google, Women in Tech, CESE (Conseil Economique Social et Environnemental), Morocco’s Ministry of Soldiery, FRDISI (Fondation de Recherche de Development et d’innovation en Sciences et Ingenierie), UM6P (Mohammed VI Polytechnic University), OMPIC, the Gulf-Israel Women’s Forum, and Leaders on Purpose were partners in the event.

The three-day gathering included a series of roundtables, workshops and panels focused on investments and funding, education and infrastructure. The event culminated in the unveiling of a graffiti wall in Marrakech, jointly created by three artists from Israel, Morocco and Senegal.

Start-Up Nation Central Chief Executive, Avi Hasson, said “Last year, we held the ‘Connect to Innovate’ conference in Casablanca, which brought together hundreds of Israeli and Moroccan business leaders. This gathering deepens the dialogue among professional networks from across the Middle East Asia (MEA) region, and recognises the important role that women play in the innovation ecosystem. We are proud to provide a platform to encourage further collaboration.”

What emerged from the workshops and panel discussions was that the MEA countries are closely aligned in facing personal challenges, such as empowering women to facilitate their passions and become leaders in their field. Equally, much of the innovation that is the output of these countries includes solutions in sectors such as water technology, renewable energy, ag-tech, human capital, health tech, etc., all of which are complimentary business opportunities to tackle challenges not only regionally, but worldwide.