Forsa is a UK-sponsored initiative and part of an overall commitment by G8 nations to support Arab countries in transition. It is intended to assist governments in ongoing efforts to improve the business environment, foster economic growth, and create sustainable private sector jobs.
Forsa’s central programme helps new entrepreneurs in Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Yemen and Libya connect with mentors who can provide them with guidance and expertise to help grow their businesses. Using a model successfully pioneered by the Mowgli Foundation, the programme will provide 12 months of mentoring support for a minimum of 250 entrepreneurs across the six countries by the end of 2014.
Mowgli’s “relational mentoring” model allows for a trusting, one-on-one relationship between the entrepreneur and experienced mentors from their countries. Mentors provide fresh insights to entrepreneurs on personal and professional challenges of entrepreneurship and help young entrepreneurs develop leadership and problem-solving skills. Mowgli has found that entrepreneurs taking part in the mentoring scheme have benefited from an average of 2-3 new jobs within the first year, and failure rates for businesses are dramatically reduced.