Abdul Baset Al Janahi interview: Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development

“They are the people that are in love with their project… they do not want to have an affair with it, but [they want to] really love it and [marry it],” says Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO, Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Development.

A man that has done a great deal to support the SME sector, and who passionately believes in the idea of entrepreneurship, he knows what he is talking about.

In fact, he has recently been handpicked by du as one of the judges to oversee a new TV reality show, 'The Entrepreneur'. The show offers AED1m in cash to winning entrepreneurs, in addition to more than half a million dirhams in professional services, ranging from setting up an office to providing exceptional networking.

“You see, the success of any business, 60 percent if not 70 percent, relies on the personality of the entrepreneur. He or she makes it or breaks it,” adds Al Janahi.

He thinks that a strong relationship should bridge entrepreneurs to their projects, much like a marriage.

“This entitles entrepreneurs to give a lot of time and commitment [to their projects], and they become like trains, they set their own railways and nothing can stop them,” he says.

Under Al Janahi’s direction, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development, an agency of the Department of Economic Development (DED), has assisted more than 10,000 entrepreneurs, of which around 800 are active members of the establishment.

“As Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment… we have two different programmes,” says Al Janahi. “There is a programme called the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Programme, [which is] for UAE nationals specifically, then there is the agency itself, which is the Mohammed Bin Rashid agency for SME Development, [which is] quite open.”

Years ago, Al Janahi laid the groundwork for the entrepreneurial development process from scratch, which enabled the unravelling and flowering of businesses in the region.

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