Buisiness

Rafah Estwani is an attractive woman, still young in her early sixties, carefully groomed and perfectly dressed in business attire. She exudes charm, drive, ambition, and self-confidence. She exudes social grace. As I entered her office, she fussed over me. “Let me get you tea,” she said, “and something to nibble.” She quickly put me at ease. Yet, in Rafah’s presence it is impossible not to sense the steel beneath the pleasing exterior. She is gracious. Yet she is also one of the most successful independent business owners in Syria.

That Syrian business community is watchfully following the signs of openness and to them, corporate news is not a revelation. This should not distract policy-makers, business associations, and researchers from the essential role Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are playing and to what extent their impact is critical on the Syrian economy. This is especially true at this stage of transformation that the county is going through, slowly but steadily.

Marwan al-Fawwaz, a former professor at Brussels University, also works as an investment consultant at the United Nations and an advisor to the Syrian Prime Minister on implementation of EU projects in Syria. He also holds a very delicate and challenging new job as director general of the General Foreign Trade Organization (GFTO). Established in Syria back in March 2003, it currently serves as an umbrella organization for several state-run companies specialized in foodstuff, minerals, pharmaceuticals, and textiles; in addition to the Free Shop Organization. For years, many accused the public sector of being sluggish and ineffective, claiming that its expenses had drained the Syrian treasury. Sporadic success stories, however, and motivated people like Marwan al-Fawwaz went by— sadly—unnoticed. Nowadays, things have changed and Fawwaz insists on doing the extra effort—walking the extra mile—to make a difference.

Rabab Ourabi

Most of us take for granted the ease with which we can access basic services at home, at work, and everywhere else. For more than two billion people around the world, however, earning less than two dollars/ day, conditions are not so easy. With that in mind, Syria recently hosted the first national microfinance conference in Damascus at the Omayyad Conference Palace, on November 10-11, 2007. The conference slogan was “Starting from scratch with microfinance and ending up with broad success.”