Khaberni - Her Royal Highness Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan, President of the Royal Scientific Society, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of Princess Sumaya University for Technology, sponsored the closing ceremony of the 17th Global Entrepreneurship Week under the slogan "Together We Build," annually organized by the Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship at the university, in strategic partnership with Zain Innovation Campus (ZINC), with the participation of 23 public and private universities.
The closing ceremony was attended by His Excellency the Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, Engineer Sami Samirat, and His Excellency the Minister of Youth, Dr. Raed Al-Adwan, along with representatives from the institutions of Al-Hassan Science City, sectors of innovation and entrepreneurship, and participating entities.
Her Highness Princess Sumaya emphasized in her speech that entrepreneurship in Jordan is not merely an annual event, but a vibrant national journey since 2009. She added, "With great pride, I have been a supporter of this journey from its beginnings, and I have witnessed its evolution into a national force enhancing creativity, capability, and opportunities, enabled by the Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship and close collaboration with universities and industrial and government sectors."
She stated that Jordan is steadily progressing towards a knowledge economy, where scientific research, technology, and innovation are the basis for competition. His Majesty King Abdullah II has emphasized that enhancing innovation and entrepreneurship is key to opening new horizons for the youth and ensuring a prosperous future for all Jordanians. Global Entrepreneurship Week embodies this vision."
Her Highness noted that this year’s slogan "Together We Build" expresses a spirit of nationalism. “We build together across ministries and sectors, we build through cooperation between the government, academia, and industry, and we build when institutions encourage creative thinking, and when youth are given the freedom and confidence to pursue their ideas. With this spirit, we strengthen our economy, nurture our society, and enhance our resilience."
She added that this year's activities extended beyond the kingdom's borders for the first time, with many events taking place in various countries including Germany, Sweden, Malta, Thailand, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, reflecting the growing international confidence in Jordanian talent.
Addressing the entrepreneurial youth, she said: “You are the real pulse. Your courage, imagination, and determination shape the future of Jordan. Hold on to your dreams, seek knowledge, act with integrity, and remember that collaboration is as important as ambition. Your country believes in you, supports you, and is proud of you."
She also referred to a significant initiative implemented this year, where BDO office organized an event targeting youth in besieged Gaza Hashem, providing financial literacy training aimed at building their capacity and exploring new pathways during challenging times, embodying a spirit of empathy, solidarity, and purpose that characterizes the entrepreneurship community in Jordan.
In her closing remarks, Her Highness expressed gratitude and appreciation for the national institutions participating, from ministries and public and private sector institutions to universities, in addition to the Royal Scientific Society and Princess Sumaya University for Technology for their prominent role in supporting the knowledge economy and entrepreneurship.
Mohammad Obaidat, director of the Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship at the university, reviewed the achievements of this year's Global Entrepreneurship Week, which extended activities to several Arab countries, including lectures, workshops, dialogue sessions, and networking opportunities, focusing on ecosystems, education, inclusivity, and policy.
Obaidat added that the center has seen prominent presence and distinction in Jordan on a global scale over the past ten years, as today it recounts 60,000 success stories from various Jordanian governorates, with female participation accounting for 60% of the engagement. Notably, 63% of these activities were organized and held outside the capital, Amman.
Tariq Al-Bitar, Executive Director of the Department of Media, Communication, Innovation, and Sustainability Management at Zain Jordan, commended the efforts of the Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship at Princess Sumaya University for Technology in organizing the annual Global Entrepreneurship Week events, affirming that this significant global event has become a main attraction awaited by entrepreneurs and Jordanian youth.
He added that Zain Innovation Campus hosted an intensive program during the week that included 40 diverse events across its branches in Jordanian universities and governorates, involving more than 1,381 young men and women. These events covered a wide range of topics, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, user experience design, digital transformation, and personal and entrepreneurial identity development, in interactive sessions with experts and specialists; aimed at providing the youth with practical skills and modern tools that enable them to develop their ideas into scalable and implementable projects, and to enhance the participation of Jordanian youth in one of the most prominent entrepreneurship events organized globally.
The ceremony concluded with the announcement of the winners in the competition for Jordanian university students in entrepreneurship, in partnership with the Amman Chamber of Industry. The first place was awarded to MargiClear team from the University of Science and Technology, the second place went to heaLXR team from Princess Sumaya University for Technology, and the third place was awarded to Naba team from Al Hussein Technical University.
