Information & Communication Technology (ICT) data from the survey of women business owners in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Responses based on interviews with 1,228 women business owners from five countries (Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, and UAE) between May-October, 2006.
- Mobile phone usage for business:
- Lebanon (93%), Jordan (91%), Bahrain (89%), Tunisia (85%) and the UAE (79%).
- Multi-line business telephone usage:
- UAE (56%), Bahrain (16%), Tunisia (13%), Jordan (12%), and Lebanon (11%).
- Computer use for business:
- UAE (94%), Lebanon (70%), Bahrain (58%), Jordan (55%), and Tunisia (54%).
- Internet use for business:
- UAE (99%), Bahrain (90%), Lebanon (85%), Jordan (61%), and Tunisia (60%).
- Web site for business:
- UAE (64%), Bahrain (32%), Jordan (27%), Lebanon (19%), and Tunisia (17%).
- Primary uses of internet:
- E-mail communications, exchanging documents electronically, and researching business opportunities were listed as the top three uses for the internet.
- E-commerce is not a significant factor yet. In UAE, 41% had bought something online while 27% had sold something online. The numbers were below 16% for buying online and below 12% for selling online in all other countries.
- Training topics of interest:
- “Learning more about how to use technology to grow your business” was the second most popular choice of training topic after “learning more about how to access new markets at home and abroad.”
- Technology training was ranked as the second most helpful topic in four of five countries – Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, and Tunisia. UAE ranked it third.
Based on Women Entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa: Characteristics, Contributions and Challenges published in June 2007 by The Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR) and The International Finance Corporation Gender Entrepreneurship Markets (IFC – GEM).
Download Women Entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa: Characteristics, Contributions and Challenges Full Report (pdf)
Leave a Reply