00:00somebody that who has a start-up or a viable business idea could apply
00:10today we are going further's fashion sector from being a creatives sector
00:15to one of the most prosperous business sectors in the kingdom
00:18tell us about the efforts that are done in this regard
00:21as we started our journey as the fashion commission we knew that
00:24fashion can be a serious contributor to the economy
00:27but also as a creative economy that's encouraging all of the youth to be part of a new journey
00:33we know the potential of a lot of new players to come into that space
00:37so we started the engagement with a lot of local brands, local creators to build their businesses
00:42but we recognize that we need to build the full value chain around them
00:46that's why it was important for us to do an initiative like the Caring Generation Award
00:50and this partnership because it's enabling us to be able to include all of the key players in the sector
00:56as part of that journey
00:57we were able to see tonight many shortlisted businesses, SMEs that are playing from the material space
01:03to manufacturing, retail, wholesale as well as all the way to building new brands that are sustainably based
01:10and we want to continue that engagement across the value chain
01:14not only talk about building businesses but also focus on building sustainable businesses
01:18that can not only succeed in the region but also go beyond and be an example to the rest of
01:24the world
01:24so tell us more about the details of this hour, the journey, the competitors and the criteria
01:28we were keen to make sure that we keep it quite broad for anybody that's getting into the sustainable business
01:35environment
01:36and anybody who has a startup or a viable business idea could apply
01:41it was our first time we didn't know how many people we're going to expect
01:44it was impressive to see hundreds of Africans come through
01:47it shows the interest in sustainable innovation in the region and especially in Saudi
01:52especially Saudi-led businesses that are interested in doing something different and new
01:56it shows that all of the education provided and supported by the country is working
02:02and there's an appreciation of doing innovative businesses that's going to bring change to the world
02:08in that realm we've basically seen hundreds of applicants that were reviewed and selected
02:13to be shortlisted with interviews we had an amazing selection of judges that had a chance to do
02:18a lot of face-to-face interviews as well and they were quite impressed to see the range and we
02:22were
02:23very keen to look at businesses focused on circular economy community engagement and education but also
02:28even the environmental impact especially with a focus on water and we have seen solutions that address
02:35many of these criterias even go beyond it through this award and the partnership what horizons and
02:41opportunities do you open for the entrepreneurs in this sector i think this was a hint about
02:46what we want to see going forward into the future sustainability and innovation has to be
02:50core part of every business because the world is offering a lot of businesses that's trying to
02:56compete with each other so the only new way to think about it is how do we get inspiration from
03:01the way things work especially in the region because these are businesses primarily based in Saudi but also
03:07how do they integrate elements of innovation and sustainability to differentiate from
03:11anybody that's coming into the country to build their businesses this is going to make them
03:16stronger and we want to continue encouraging these kind of entrepreneurs to think differently
03:20or for their solutions and we'll find ways to give them a platform give them the network and
03:25and make sure that they continue to prosper
03:28you
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