Entrepreneurship is booming in the Arab World. Tunisia, as a democratic country going through political and economic reforms, aims to become a regional hub. Co-working spaces are mushrooming while start-ups are the go-to path for many talented fresh graduates. However, the education system remains disconnected from the world of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs are often self-taught. Moreover, West-North Africa remains disconnected from the major hubs of entrepreneurship in North America. This is a gap that the Tunis Center aims to fill.
Columbia University (through its Global Centers in Tunis and Amman) contributed in establishing the Fostering Entrepreneurship in Engineering Education in Tunisia, or Open Startup Tunisia. The project started in 2015, with the aim of introducing elements of an entrepreneurship curriculum in engineering schools, and building an ecosystem that would support entrepreneurial activities in the Tunisian context. Program participants work together during a full year and learn skills that would help in their development as entrepreneurs. The winning team would fly to New York City and compete with CU students during the Columbia Venture Competition.
Moreover, Tunis is centrally located between Algiers and Tripoli. It has therefore the possibility to become a hub for companies working in Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya and willing to offer their staff a Columbia executive education. This may be expanded to the rest of Western and Northern Africa. CGC Tunis encourages and promotes the executive education courses developed by Columbia Business School. More info here.
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