The Moomken Organisation hosted Hind Al-Bashari, project manager and mentor for entrepreneurship, Salem Al-Maadani, an expert in the implementation and management of community projects, and Mona Habib, the grants manager at the Cultural Protection Fund in the British Council, to participate in this session, and express their personal opinions and experiences.
Community engagement is considered a key pillar in fostering an entrepreneurial ecosystem, helping to create a climate conducive to innovation and growth. By engaging with the local community, entrepreneurs can gain new ideas and insights that help in growing their businesses and meeting market needs. Active engagement also builds trust and social connections, providing easy access to the resources and support needed for growth.
The social impact of entrepreneurship is demonstrated by the ability of entrepreneurial initiatives to bring about positive changes in communities. Projects with social or environmental goals aim to address local challenges, such as poverty and unemployment, which contributes to improving the quality of life and promoting sustainable development. In addition, social entrepreneurship can raise awareness about these societal and environmental issues, helping stimulate active participation and enhancing public awareness.
In general, community engagement and social impact in entrepreneurship combine to provide a strong impetus for innovation and sustainable development goals, which contributes to building a more prosperous and cohesive society. “Entrepreneurship is a combination of the traditional entrepreneurship principle, and a focus on solving social problems and improving living standards.” said Salem Al-Maadani.
Community Entrepreneurship and Social Responsibility in Southern Libya - Challenges and Differences:
Community entrepreneurship in southern Libya is a promising field, though it faces significant challenges that can hinder business activities. These challenges include funding issues, lack of basic infrastructure, and political and security conditions. However, it has great development potential, with natural resources like agricultural land and mineral wealth offering substantial opportunities for agriculture, traditional industries, and tourism. In addition, entrepreneurs should adopt sustainable practices, such as effectively using local resources and the minimizing of environmental impacts. Engaging the local community in projects builds trust and encourages support for entrepreneurial initiatives. Entrepreneurs can also improve skills and knowledge by organizing workshops and training courses to raise awareness about entrepreneurship. Community entrepreneurship in southern Libya represents an opportunity for positive change, and by promoting social responsibility, entrepreneurs can help build a more prosperous and cohesive society.
While they do complement each other, community entrepreneurship and social responsibility remain distinct topics. Community entrepreneurship focuses on creating projects that generate profit and address societal issues like poverty and education through innovative solutions. Social responsibility, on the other hand, involves entrepreneurs' ethical commitment to society and the environment, aiming to improve the social and environmental impact of business activities and enhance transparency. While community entrepreneurship aims to directly achieve social goals through business activity, social responsibility seeks to enhance the overall positive impacts of business activity without solely focusing on it.
Salem Al-Maadani highlighted that "the success of traditional organizations and institutions is often measured in terms of profit, while the success of community entrepreneurship is gauged by the entrepreneur's impact on existing social issues and ongoing cultural activities.”
He also added that, "Similarly, in terms of funding, the traditional system often relies on financing from businessmen and investors. With community entrepreneurship, funding sources are broader, especially with international trends. An example is the Deraya project, which focuses on socially responsible companies.”
Furthermore, he noted that “traditional companies typically target a broad audience, whereas socially oriented companies focus on the local community within their immediate surroundings, hoping to gain their trust through full social responsibility.”
Hind Al-Bashari also emphasized the need to distinguish between community entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility, which all companies, whether public or private sector, are supposed to adhere to, and that in Libya, both CSO’s and the private sector are built on this basis. All companies must uphold social responsibility towards their community and adhere to the required budgets.
In the world of entrepreneurship, potential entrepreneurs have two important choices:
Analyzing Early Transformation versus Achieving Entrepreneurial Profits, and its impacts on Community Research:
In the world of entrepreneurship, many potential entrepreneurs encounter two critical strategic decisions: whether to pivot early in their business model, or prioritise immediate entrepreneurial profits. This analysis explores the advantages, disadvantages, and social implications associated with both choices.
By pivoting early on, companies can quickly adapt to market changes and customer needs, potentially leading to the development of innovative products or services for the community. Companies focusing on positive change from the outset can build a strong reputation, which enhances customer and investor loyalty. Moreover, during this restructuring period, companies can gather valuable data on market behavior, which enables them to improve their strategies.
On the other hand, prioritizing profitability initially helps to ensure financial stability, which facilitates operational expansion and the development of new projects. Strong financial performance enhances investor appeal, which helps to secure the additional funding needed for societal transformations. This success also bolsters community and investor confidence, leading to larger-scale social impact initiatives.
The choice between early transformation and prioritizing entrepreneurial profits has significant implications regarding community initiatives. Companies focusing on social impact from the outset may struggle with expansion, but help in driving local solutions. Meanwhile, those prioritizing profits early on often have the resources for positive impacts but face issues in balancing profit with social responsibility.
Salem Al-Maadani advised entrepreneurs on that choice by stating the following "I would like to offer two pieces of advice to entrepreneurs. Firstly, they should engage in corporate social responsibility, focusing on issues they are passionate about and have expertise in. Avoid ventures unrelated to their passion or expertise, as profits alone will not ensure sustainability. Secondly, consider partnerships with civil society or other companies experienced in corporate social responsibility to gain valuable expertise from highly competent partners in this field."
The Challenges facing Social Responsibility in Southern Libya:
Social responsibility in southern Libya faces significant challenges, particularly due to security issues in some areas, which hinder the implementation of social initiatives and pose risks to economic activities. This make it challenging for companies and institutions to uphold their social responsibility commitments.
Additionally, there is a significant lack of infrastructure, including roads, health facilities, and educational institutions, which hampers the effective implementation of social responsibility programs, which require a conducive environment for their success.
Many companies also face funding shortages, which hinders their ability to support social initiatives. A lack of awareness about the importance of social responsibility further complicates matters, with some companies lacking knowledge on how to effectively implement these projects.
Economic challenges, such as unemployment and limited investment opportunities, also hinder the progress of social responsibility projects, as companies need economic stability before engaging in social initiatives. Finally, lack of local community involvement in planning and executing social projects may lead to their inefficacy. These initiatives must align with community needs to achieve the desired impact.
To strengthen social responsibility in southern Libya, addressing the previously mentioned issues is crucial. This focus enables companies to significantly enhance social and economic conditions in the region.
Hind Al-Bashari highlighted the empowerment of marginalized groups through projects like educational initiatives, waste recycling, and community integration efforts, including disabled individuals, minorities, and women. One of the primary goals of social entrepreneurship is to empower and integrate marginalized groups into society. These projects are often flexible, capable of adapting to societal changes, and rely on innovation to create innovative business models that generate social value alongside profits and market expansion locally.
She also mentioned that opportunities for youth in coastal cities are better compared to other cities, as they are major urban areas that receive focus from both local government support and international organizations. In recent times, international organizations have begun shifting their focus towards southern Libya, establishing training and capacity-building programs aimed at enhancing the skills and efficiency of trainees.
Mona Habib added that, "The challenges have increased somewhat, because most of the projects are from coastal cities, with no trace of any projects from the southern region. A major challenge facing the south in particular is the difficulty in obtaining approval to start projects. Approval must be obtained from the community, as the south is considered a tribal community. Once approval Is obtained from the tribes, it must then be obtained from the municipality itself.”
Social Value and Social Responsibility:
Entrepreneurial projects are considered one of the main contributors to the creation of positive social impacts, as they play a pivotal role in improving the economic and social conditions in societies. First, these projects contribute to creating job opportunities, reducing the unemployment rates and increasing the standard of living. They also provide opportunities for training and skills development, which enhances the efficiency of the workforce and contributes to raising the quality of production.
Moreover, entrepreneurial projects encourage innovation by developing new solutions to societal challenges, which helps to improve the quality of life. By meeting the needs of the local community, these projects enhance social cohesion and reflect societal values.
On the other hand, the social value of entrepreneurial projects manifest in several crucial aspects. These initiatives contribute to sustainable development by integrating environmental and social considerations into their operations, which ensures the preservation of resources for future generations. Additionally, they bolster the local economy by stimulating production, enhancing overall income levels, and improving the quality of services provided.
These projects also contribute to raising social awareness on issues such as education, health and the environment, leading to positive changes in societal behaviors and practices. In addition, they can focus on providing solutions for vulnerable or marginalized groups, thus enhancing their social and economic status.
Mona Habib mentioned that “To start a project in the south, you should determine the target area, then conduct a simple survey to measure the success of the project there. Based on the results, the project should be drawn up in a way that ensures sustainability. Sustainability is the most important stage of any project, especially in Southern Libya, and it depends on the community, so the community impact is very important.”
In conclusion, social entrepreneurship and social responsibility emerge as vital elements for achieving sustainable development in Southern Libya. Despite the challenges facing this region, it possesses great potential that can be exploited through innovation and collaboration with the local community.
Promoting community engagement fosters trust, meets local needs, enhances quality of life, and strengthens social ties, while balancing social impact with profit goals creates a conducive environment for growth and sustainability. Through the implementation of responsible practices and attracting local and international support, entrepreneurial projects can be a driver of positive change, contributing to a more prosperous and cohesive society in southern Libya.