Chapter 1: The Entrepreneurial Rise and Technological Innovation in the Middle East and North Africa Available to Purchase

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is a distinct region, covering a large region extending from Morocco to Oman, including all Middle Eastern and Maghreb countries, a region synonymous with the Greater Middle East. The MENA region population is about 381 million people; the vast majority living in middle-income countries represents about 6% of the total world population. MENA is usually grouped by international, economic, and academic organizations, influenced by economic and political transformations, but with an inheritance for better growth. Therefore, it benefits from a privileged geographic location – access to large markets, such as a young and frequently educated population, and comparative advantages in different sectors such as tourism, manufacturing, and renewable energies. Also, MENA economies are implementing reforms to improve employment, economic growth, diversification, governance structures, private sector development, and integrity.