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January 23, 2007
Yemen Observer
The University of Michigan-Dearborn School of Management and the American Arab Chamber of Commerce were recently awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of State to promote private sector development in Yemen. All Yemeni participants will receive business training, and 15 of the participants will also receive an all-expense paid two-week trip to the US for additional business training and to meet with American business people.
Because the whole program can be conducted in Arabic, participants do not need to speak English. One of the managers of the program, Dr. Aaron Ahuvia, director of international programming for Europe and Emerging Markets at UMD-SOM, recently returned from Yemen. “I was very impressed with the level of cooperation people in Yemen are giving to this project. I received a very positive and helpful response from many organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce & Industry in Sana’a and in Aden, the Federation of Yemen Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Higher Education, the Ministry of Industry & Trade, Sana’a University, GTZ, the Small Enterprise Development Fund, Yemenia Airways, the US Embassy in Yemen, and the Yemeni Embassy in Washington, DC.”
“We are looking for two types of people,” Ahuvia continued. “First, we are looking for owners of small- and medium-sized businesses who have a track record of success and are ready to take the next step to really grow their business.” Business owners who participate in the training program in Yemen are encouraged to bring one or two members of their senior management team along with them. “We’d like a group of two or three people from each business to attend the training, because we’ll expect participants to produce usable results during the week-long workshop, and this requires getting the perspective of more than one person from each business,” Ahuvia said.
The second type of participant accepted into the program is someone who doesn’t currently own a business but is planning to start one. The training will take place over five days, and attendance on all five days is mandatory. Upon completion, participants will receive a certificate issued jointly by the University of Michigan Dearborn, School of Management and the American Arab Chamber of Commerce. The cost of the week long seminar will be YR4500 (about US$25). To apply, interested people should contact the Chamber of Commerce and & Industry in Sana’a or Aden.
Barbara Peitsch, formerly the director of business development at the William Davidson Institute, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, has been hired to manage the project, together with Dr. Ahuvia. The American Arab Chamber of Commerce Chairman Nasser Beydoun and Membership Director Susan Bazzi will manage the project for the AACC in Dearborn. The American Arab Chamber of Commerce is an organization that works to foster trade and improve relations between Michigan based companies and the Middle East.
Its mission is to build economic bridges. “The potential for business growth in Yemen is huge, and this program seeks to invest in that country in a manner previously overlooked by similar projects,” said Bazzi. “The American Arab Chamber of Commerce is very excited to be a part of this unique program that will surely reap dividends for the business community in Yemen for years to come.” The grant was awarded in September by the Office of Citizen Exchanges, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
http://www.yobserver.com/article-11558.php
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