The Entrepreneurship Academy of the SANAD Fund for MSME and Al Hussein Fund for Excellence (HFE) Jordan have initiated content development for a free online course on financial education topics in the Middle East and North Africa, targeting very small and small enterprise owners as well as youth. The partners aim to increase financial literacy and skills among the region’s entrepreneurs – thus supporting the business success that drives economic growth and job creation.

HFE is a nonprofit organization promoting innovation and sustainable development in Jordan, with experience in developing and disseminating tools for financial education. HFE and the SANAD Entrepreneurship Academy aim to spread financial education beyond borders and have joined forces to create and offer a free online training course that utilizes the success of the Edraak platform: a “massive open online course” (MOOC) for learners across the Arab-speaking world, serving over 2.5 million learners with over 140 courses in Arabic. By providing financial education opportunities through the Edraak MOOC platform, HFE and the SANAD Entrepreneurship Academy aim to reach a broad audience of interested learners throughout the region.

The partners plan to make the course available online in early 2020. The course will cover modules on business basics, starting a business, managing a business, and growing and financing a business.

Established in 2011, the SANAD Fund for MSMEs finances micro, small and medium enterprises and low-income households in the Middle East and North Africa via qualified local lenders. SANAD thereby fosters economic development and job creation – including youth employment – agriculture, affordable housing, and innovations in finance and financial technologies. SANAD’s investors include the KfW Development Bank and the European Union.

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Press release

SANAD Fund – website