Exciting Business Opportunity Alert: Doing Business in Morocco – March 21st

Attention Investors, Entrepreneurs, and Business Leaders!

Are you intrigued by the untapped business potential in Morocco? Ready to explore unique investment opportunities that could elevate your business to new heights? Mark your calendars for March 21st because we have something special for you! (more…)

Entrepreneurship has become a viable alternative path for many young people to making a meaningful impact on society. Today we are witnessing a lot of incredible entrepreneurs in the African diaspora accomplishing great successes and making valuable contributions to the community and economy.

Omek, in partnership with Impact Hub, is collaborating with the Black Achievement Month to organize a roundtable discussion where we bring together successful entrepreneurs from all levels, backgrounds, and industries from the African diaspora and its allies to share their stories about how they create, grow, and innovate their businesses in the Netherlands.

So, are you an aspiring entrepreneur with brilliant ideas you believe will change the world? Are you prototyping or growing your business? Or are you already an established entrepreneur with years of experience in trials and tribulations?

Join other like-minded entrepreneurs, creatives, and changemakers as they discuss their journey and share their stories.

About Omek—

Omek aims to create a safe and trusted space for talented African diaspora changemakers and allies to come together. A space where they can leverage their collective wisdom, shared passion, and unique talents to propel the community to the next level.

PANELISTS

AHMED LAROUZ

Ahmed Larouz is a social innovator, entrepreneur, and strategic creative communication and marketing manager. He has founded several businesses and initiatives which developed innovative and creative initiatives concerning social cohesion, social innovation, and entrepreneurship in different countries. He’s the founder of Africa Incubator, Diwan Awards Holland and also the co-founder and Author of 180 Amsterdammers celebrating Amsterdam’s rich cultures and for being the most diverse city in the world.

He as gained experience across several industries around the globe and has consulted commercial businesses, start-ups, government and social organizations including Bridgizz, a communication, and marketing agency based in Amsterdam with a satellite office in Casablanca, Morocco. He has also co-founded many diversity networks including INCLEADERS, The Cedar Network, and TANS.

BARBARA GWANMESIA

Barbara Gwanmesia is a magazine & newspaper editor, author, (singer-songwriter), researcher and social entrepreneur. Originally from The Southern Cameroons, Barbara lives in Rotterdam and is now working on two editorial projects for Africans living in the Netherlands and women worldwide.

As a social entrepreneur, Barbara and her business partner (son Bengyella) are behind the creation of the famous Afribol snack that has been appearing in Super Market “Albert Heijn to go” since 2016 as a winter seasonal product – and which is today generating capital to fight maternal mortality in African countries.

STANLEY ANYETEI

Stanley Anyetei is an investment officer at Triodos Investments Management, an impact-investing firm that manages direct #investments in a variety of sectors including energy and climate, inclusive development and sustainable agriculture across the globe.

Before joining Triodos, Stanley was Head of Investments at PYMWYMIC, a European community of high net worth families, philanthropists, and individual investors. After more than 10 years in banking space at Investec Bank advising organizations, on a variety of strategic and financing initiatives, Stanley sees that the new challenge is to work with investors, entrepreneurs, and enterprises to create sustainable models in social impact and financial inclusion.

REMY HOOI

Remy Hooi is the Co-founder and CEO of RMAH (Renewables Made Affordable & Honest) Group of independent projects which comprises renewable energy (Windpower & Solar). Remy has a clear vision which is to revolutionize the African renewable energy industry with Sierra Leone as a starting point. Africa has seen rapid economic growth this century, with a corresponding increase in the demand for energy.

With RMAH Group he has the vision to stabilize the economies of the countries lacking energy by the development of sustainable projects. With the developments of his pioneer project which is the first Windpower in Sierra leone called Freetown Windpark, a high demand for RMAH’s next project in Northern Ghana/Bolgotanga ‘’ Bolgotanga Solarpark ‘’ is equivalent evolved. Remy’s philosophy in business is the KISS principle which is to keep it simple, stupid. He believes that it’s crucial especially when working together with communities and empowering the people by involving them in the development of RMAH’s projects.

SANDRA DEIRA

Sandra Deira is the Founder and Global Director of Health Tribe, a company providing healthy supplements for people who want to improve their lifestyle, their appearance and their overall health. Health Tribe ships products across all European countries, the UK, the USA and looking to develop business in the Gulf region, the Magreb, the Middle East and eventually Asia. Sandra’s speciality is aligning strategy, business development and marketing. She is an award-winning entrepreneur dedicated to designing a world where people come first and where diversity and inclusion are embraced.

Besides Health Tribe she is Well Aligned and also a columnist and a podcast host talking about various aspects aligning Sustainable Wellness, welfare, and health for Sovereign Magazine, a global Magazine for executives and leading entrepreneurs.

BARRY MORISSE

Barry Morisse is an AI thinker and ethicist whose research is focused on the impact that artificial intelligence will have on our society and economy – in an African context. Professionally he collaborates with En-novate to design and facilitate high-impact global immersion trips for South African entrepreneurs to some of the most progressive cities across the world. In this work, Barry has spent most of the last 18 months traveling with South African business leaders to some of the most important technology hubs around the world. Prior to that, Barry spent 3 years in investment banking and data science.

Barry is a qualified CA(SA) holding bachelor and honors degrees in accounting from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He is currently completing a Masters in Philosophy focusing on the ethics of artificial intelligence.”

DAVID COLEMAN

David Coleman is a brand builder and commercial strategist who is passionate about evolving consumer needs, data-driven insights and value creation. He has over a decade of technology industry experience, helping organizations execute commercial strategies while keeping pace with their consumers changing lives. David is experienced at managing the chaos of innovation, as complexity is simplified to make it useful for staff, clients end users. He is a storyteller and evangelist of constant change, collaboration, and sound strategic thinking.

David is the founder of the Council Of Local Experts, a growing community of mentors and entrepreneurs, where local experts advise and train up-and-coming founders in Ghana. Currently, he is a Growth Lead at VC4A where he is working with the team to reimagine the companies role in the global startup ecosystem.

His areas of advanced skill include entrepreneurship, bootstrapping, product development strategy. venture design, demand generation, information architecture, and marketing communications.

PROGRAM

18:00 – 18:30 Registration

18:30 – 18:40 Introduction by Kemo

18:40 – 19:15 Panel discussion

19:15 – 20:00 Q&A

20:00 – 21:00 Networking activities

For more information, please contact

Kemo Camara at kemo@myomek.com

Rabat, Morocco 4th Oct. Honored to contribute to the UNDP YOUTH INNOVATION SUMMIT: CO-CREATING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE. The Youth Innovation Summit is a five-day event brought young people to the forefront of sustainable development. 100 young talents were selected to work together on creative and innovative solutions to some of Morocco’s biggest social and economic challenges in an Innovation Lab. The summit culminated in a Youth Dialogue Festival, a public platform for dialogue, inspiration and discussion.

Youth Innovation Summit

The Youth Innovation Summit started on Monday, September 30, and ended today, October 4. The five-day event took place in OLM Souissi,  in Rabat.

The summit aimed to bring Moroccan youth to the forefront of social innovation, sustainable development, and entrepreneurship in Morocco.

More than 30 Moroccan organizations and businesses took part in the summit, and more than 2,500 visitors attended.

The Moroccan Ministry of Youth and Sports, the United Nations Development Program, and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized the summit. Other partners of the event include local and international start-ups, artists, accelerator programs, and international banks.

Youth Dialogue Festival

The summit concluded with the Youth Dialogue Festival. The festival was open to the public for free, like the rest of the summit’s activities. It started at 9 a.m. with a Zumba session to warm up at the nearby Ibn Sina Park, also known as “Hilton Forest.”

The festival officially started at 11 a.m. with speeches from Morocco’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Rachid Talbi Alami, and the Danish Crown Princess Mary. The event’s program included multiple dialogues and debates. Topics varied between the engagement of youth in sustainable development, the future of jobs in Morocco, female empowerment, and even food as a driver for change.

https://www.youthinnovationsummit.org/home

If you are an entrepreneur or investor who wants to or already do business in Morocco? Then this might be a great opportunity to join The Hague Trade Dinner  “Doing Business in Morocco” on Monday 27th of May in The Hague.

The Hague Trade Dinner “Doing Business in Morocco” is planned on Monday 27th of May in The Hague . This will not be a casual networking occasion, but an explicit event with focus on strengthening the Moroccan-Dutch economic relations. In addition to investors, entrepreneurs and business leaders from the Hague, other Dutch business community and government representatives from different parts of the country will be invited for this special gathering. The evening offers an unique opportunity for networking and obtaining more information about doing business with Morocco.

Please register by sending your name, designation and company name to: iftar@bridgizz.com before Friday 24th of May. After your registration you will receive a confirmation, including the latest program and directions of the event.

FIRST EDITION DIWAN AWARDS HOLLAND SUCCESSFUL

On November 3rd, the first edition of Diwan Awards Holland took place in The Atrium, The Hague, The Netherlands. Diwan Awards Holland is an international recognition award for talented people with a bicultural background. Diwan Awards Holland was dedicated to successes and collaborations within our multicultural society. The initiative arose because of the need to contradict the one-sided and negative image of Dutch people with a bicultural background, by creating a stage for all these people who are not heard and seen enough.

The Diwan Awards were divided into different categories and the winners are:

First Edition Diwan Awards Holland

Every edition of Diwan Awards Holland focuses on another group. During this first edition, the focus was on Dutch people with a Moroccan background. By focusing on a different culture each edition, the organization shows the new generation that many people, in different disciplines, can be an inspiration. The recognition award wants to inspire the new, young generation to make a positive contribution to Dutch society.

 Several national (and international) guests were present during the first edition, including Frans Timmermans (First Vice President of the European Commission) and Rachid Guernaoui (alderman of Finance Integration and Municipalities of The Hague). Next to that, Bouchra Baibanu, the first Moroccan and North African woman to climb Mount Everest, attended the event as well as Miss New York and entrepreneur Iman Oubou and Hollywood Composer Youssef Guezoum. Three top influencers and musicians from the Arab world, were present and performed. UFC fighter Abu Azaitar was also present to support Diwan Awards Holland.

Ali B presented the International Achievement Award

During the event, not only inspiring role models in the Netherlands were honored, but also a special International Achievement Award was presented to UFC fighter Abu Azaitar. On behalf of Diwan Awards Holland, Dutch rapper Ali B had come especially to surprise him with an award.

Special Tribute Abdelhak Nouri

Special attention was given to Abdelhak Nouri during the event. Abdelhak Nouri’s friends and family were invited on stage where they were surprised with a special award for Nouri. They also received a check of 15.000 EUR for the Nouri Foundation. This check was offered by restaurant Meram. The audience was moved and gave a standing ovation to the family and friends.

Enthusiastic audience and a new light

The audience was very enthusiastic, and they loved seeing so many role models within a culture. People look forward to the next editions with other cultures.

Ahmed Larouz, initiator of Diwan Awards Holland, about the evening: “We made a statement with Diwan Awards Holland and made a shed a new light. We have shown that there are many role models within a culture that can inspire the new generation. With our international guests we also have shown that the inspiration lies, not only within the Netherlands, but also abroad. The Netherlands is rich in cultures and Diwan Awards Holland shines a positive light on the bicultural Dutch, who work hard with a heart for the Dutch society.’’

Comedian and actor Najib Amhali, one of the ambassadors of Diwan Awards Holland, expresses the purpose of Diwan Awards Holland as follows:
“Our ancestors came to the Netherlands with a dream, the dream for a better life for their children, everyone knows the American Dream, but I know the Dutch dream, the dream of freedom, opportunity, equality and a good dose Dutch straightforwardness.  Many Dutch people with a bicultural background are living the Dutch Dream now.. We are proud of our little country and proud of our origins One does not fail for the other. It is the combination of these two cultures that takes us one step further every day.“

More information about Diwan Awards Holland can be found at

https://facebook.com/diwanawardsnl

www.diwanawardsholland.nl

info@diwanawardsholland.nl

This signature workshop of GMF’s Paris-Based Inclusive Leadership Hub convened annually diverse  GMF alumni as well as French stakeholders to engage on state of the art practices for inclusive leadership.

From September 27-28, the inaugural workshop brought together those in GMF’s smart power network who create and shape pathways for emerging talent of diverse backgrounds to advance across sectors. Organized over two days of knowledge sharing and co-creation, this summit leaded to enhanced connectivity and collaboration across Europe and the United States. The workshop took place in the George C. Marshall Center of the United States Embassy in Paris, France and other venues.

Participants have left the workshop with:

The Inclusive Leadership Summit is exclusive to GMF alumni, including those from the Marshall Memorial Fellowship, Manfred Wörner Seminar, Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Network, Transatlantic Forum for Migration and Integration, Asmus Policy Entrepreneurs Fellowship, APSA Congressional Fellowship, and New Länder Fellowship.

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Amsterdam is de meest innovatieve stad van Europa. We lopen in Amsterdam voorop met slimme, sociale en creatieve oplossingen voor een beter leven in de stad.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ds6UqixiK8