Barcelona to host over 1,000 entrepreneurs

By Dilara Zengin

ANKARA (AA) - Mediterranean entrepreneurs will discuss the human and economic potential of the region at the 11th Mediterranean Week of Economic Leaders (MedaWeek) next week in Barcelona.

Anadolu Agency is the global communication partner of the event for the third time.

The three-day meeting, one of the region’s major economic events, will start on Nov. 22 and run through Nov. 24.

This year’s meeting will offer a unique platform to explore the business opportunities of competitive industries under the slogan of "Strength in Diversity: Our Economic Power”.

MedaWeek is co-organized by Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME), the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed), in collaboration with many international organizations.

A large number of thematic forums and more than 60 working sessions will be held, with 200 speakers and the participation of more than 1,000 businessmen, chambers of commerce, employers, sectoral associations, political authorities and international organizations from more than 35 countries, ASCAME said.

"This year's edition will host multiple sectoral forums, sessions, workshops and business meetings, from textile, water, renewable energy, Islamic finance, human development, or opportunities in the Maghreb and Africa, with special emphasis on the role of women entrepreneurs in the regional economy," it added.

This year’s meeting will bring together more than 70 Mediterranean women entrepreneurs to strengthen their cooperation and create new business opportunities for them.

"The MENA region today has a significant gender disparity in entrepreneurship: only 13-15 percent of women own and manage their businesses, compared to 31-38 percent worldwide," ASCAME noted.

ASCAME said the region could increase its GDP per capita growth by 25 percent with the economic empowerment of women, in the light of OECD estimations.