"The Middle East region is massively varied when it comes to readiness for digital transformation. Many states - notably those of the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula - are awash with government funds, investment programmes and incentives for digital businesses. Meanwhile, current and recent conflict zones, such as Palestine and Syria, severely lack some of the fundamentals, such as the ability to carry out electronic transactions or an investment and market ecosystem into which startups can grow."
"We spoke to representatives from startup companies at the Expand North Star event in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), this week, to gauge perceptions of their countries readiness for tech startups and digital business in general. The event was attended by startup exhibitors from all Arab countries, with huge representation from the host country - the UAE - as well as significant presence from states from Morocco in the west to Oman in the east."
"The main challenge is how to prove yourself to investors and to the customers that will buy your product. In Egypt, there are a lot of startups and a lot of entrepreneurships. But also in Egypt, regarding the infrastructure, if you're adding a new feature that is not traditional in Egypt, it can be a little bit of a challenge."
The Middle East shows massive variation in readiness for digital transformation. Wealthy Gulf and Arabian Peninsula states deploy government funds, investment programmes and incentives that favor digital businesses. Conflict-affected areas such as Palestine and Syria lack fundamentals like electronic transaction capability and a market ecosystem for startups to scale. Bureaucracy and slow infrastructure create obstacles across multiple countries. The Expand North Star event in Dubai gathered startup exhibitors from all Arab countries with notable participation from the UAE, Morocco and Oman. Startup representatives from Egypt, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Qatar and the UAE reported challenges including proving value to investors and customers and digitization delays despite available AI skills.
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