“The SME Fund has been a success for Kuwait because it goes well beyond attempts in the past to stimulate the sector. In addition to funding, there is a significant training component, so that the entrepreneurs aren’t expected to sink without any prior education and guidance. To sustain recent progress and move development of the sector forward in the future, Dawood Marafie believes strongly that a broad ecosystem of support is required. To get there, bureaucratic inefficiency in areas such as issuing business licenses must be eliminated, and a stronger focus on entrepreneurship in education is needed in schools, where there is little coverage of business studies.”