White House: When Ibrahim Harb was planning a digital project in his home inspired by the circumstances of the Corona pandemic (Covid-19), the young man from Jerusalem did not think that his idea would one day lead him from the city of Al-Aqsa Mosque to Al-Aqsa Morocco to live an exceptional experience, which his colleague from Jerusalem, Rasha Tartir, described in a full tone. Passion: “We deserve life, and this is our chance to get going.”
Ibrahim Warsha was part of a team of 5 young Jerusalemites leading emerging companies in the city of Casablanca, to participate in the event of the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency announcing its strategy for the next 3 years in the field of digitization and innovation under the slogan “Digital development in the service of economic development in Jerusalem,” which includes Its projects are an incubator platform for startups targeting the youth of Jerusalem in the same field.
The project, which is hosted by the agency’s office in the economic capital, “Bait Al-Mal Place” (BAMQ Plus), is a 5-month program targeting the new generation of Jerusalemite entrepreneurs in cooperation with Al-Quds University and the National School of Commerce and Management of Hassan II University, and includes 160 hours of intensive training. Remotely, sessions with investors and financial grants to develop projects.
Renewal and innovation
The director in charge of running the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency, Al-Sharif Muhammad Salem Al-Sharqawi, said that the aim of this initiative is to give the youth of Jerusalem the opportunity to enhance their capabilities to continue their path in the areas of innovation and innovation, by investing in the potential of digitization and the technological boom and what modern technology allows today.
He pointed out in an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net that “this is done in accordance with a process that lasts for months of training, culminating in a grant that enables them to continue defending their projects, whether in the local or international market.”
Al-Sharqawi pointed out that Palestinian and Moroccan experts are being sought to supervise the holders of emerging projects and companies in Jerusalem, and to provide them with prepared materials through a specialized institution that continues to communicate with them wherever they are to keep up with their projects until they mature and are able to enter the financing and marketing markets, indicating that this support has begun. It includes preparatory meetings that extended for two days in Casablanca, and continues in Marrakesh through participation in the “GITEX Africa” exhibition.
For his part, the representative of the delegation of Jerusalemite businessmen, Iyad Al-Araj, explained their role in keeping up with the initiative by strengthening resources and activating relations between Morocco and Jerusalem, especially with regard to investment between the two parties.
In an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net, he stated that the primary goal is to encourage new and innovative youth digital solutions that enable investment in the field and create jobs focused on technology in light of the challenges of artificial intelligence.
During the announcement of the strategy, agreements were signed to finance the incubation of the five emerging companies from Jerusalem, in addition to an annex to an agreement with the National School of Administration and Management in Casablanca regarding supporting the involvement of school students in the same program.
An opportunity to take off
“Today we can go out and chant ‘Sir Bilal Maghribi’.” Jerusalemite journalist Rasha Tartir, co-founder of PAL NEWS AI, says, which is a cloud-based digital platform concerned with creating media content based on artificial intelligence techniques, and working on productions that support the preservation of the national and cultural heritage of the city of Jerusalem.
Tartir adds, “This support is very important to us, as our startup companies have been officially adopted. Today we can go off and work on the ground with strength and determination to convey our story,” noting in an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net that all Palestinian youth are capable of creativity when they have the opportunity. The right opportunity: “Every one of us has an idea that he believes in and has his own project and dream. We are a people who deserve to live.”
In turn, Ibrahim Harb expressed his happiness at being chosen to take advantage of this opportunity. He is the executive director of a company concerned with developing the educational process through a digital application that employs augmented reality technology, for which the name “Canar” was chosen. He said in an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net that “participation in such stations is tantamount to… A goal for every startup company that aspires to expand and attract investments that will allow it to continue providing its services.”
Ibrahim considered the moment of signing the incubation agreement for his company by the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency a success in itself that would enable him “to build relationships outside Palestine and work with a new potential market in Morocco and North Africa.”
Competition and conditions
The five young people who came to Morocco were selected out of 20 Jerusalemites who submitted their projects to Al-Quds University, which supervised the selection process in the occupied city after the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency announced the incubator platform for emerging companies, according to precise conditions, most notably that the projects be digital, and its plans include standards. It qualifies it for success and continuity in the future.
In this regard, Rashid Jayousi, Professor of Information Technology at Al-Quds University, said that the young people who were selected “have entrepreneurial ideas that had the opportunity to benefit from this incubator, and to network with young Moroccan entrepreneurs from Morocco and create joint projects,” expressing – in an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net – his hope for The number of participants will be larger in the coming years.
After launching the experience of keeping up with their projects in the economic capital of the Kingdom (the city of Casablanca), which is expected to embrace these companies for the next 5 months in order to support and develop them through the Bayt Al-Mal Plus platform, young Jerusalemites are heading to the city of Marrakesh to participate in the “GITEX Africa” exhibition in its second edition. “It is an investment station for communicating with businessmen from Morocco and different countries,” according to Dr. Rachid Jayoussi.
Professor Al-Maqdisi adds, “Just hosting us in Morocco and helping our youth reach here is a unique opportunity, without which it would be difficult for their emerging companies to open up to the world,” stressing that participation in this international exhibition would enable Jerusalem’s youth to compete with their projects, and attract the attention of businessmen who would contribute. In developing it, creating job opportunities, in addition to contributing to supporting the Palestinian national economy through available investments.
GITEX Africa Exhibition
The five young Jerusalemites are participating in presenting their projects in the GITEX Africa exhibition, which was launched yesterday evening, Wednesday, and is considered the largest event for technology and emerging companies in the African continent. Young Jerusalemites are competing in the Supernova Entrepreneurship Challenge, along with 5 other Moroccan students from the National School of Commerce and Management, within the partnership between the latter, Al-Quds University, and Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif.
Gibran Massad, a master’s student in digital media and communication at Al-Quds University, also came to Morocco with his Jerusalemite colleagues with his startup company, which he chose as the name “Aleef.” He seeks to develop a smart veterinary clinic using artificial intelligence techniques, and for him, the GITEX Festival is “a gateway to… During which he had a global opportunity to represent his homeland, Palestine, with his pioneering project.”
In turn, Ibrahim Harb believes that the GITEX station is not an end point for them, but rather a starting point in the path of developing their companies. In his conversation with Tel Aviv Tribune Net, he also considers it an opportunity to convey the message of the Palestinian people to the world that “we are an ambitious people who love life.”