Sharjah, Mar. 18th, 2007 (WAM)--- A hundred million new jobs will have to be created in the next two decades throughout the Arab world in order to cater to its growing and ever-younger populations, said Hamid Jafar, Chairman and CEO of Crescent Petroleum and Executive Chairman of Dana Gas.

In his keynote address at the inaugural Business, Information and Management Academy (BIMA) conference held at the American University of Sharjah (AUS) today, Jahar said job creation is one of the most important challenges facing the region today, he said. "In Saudi Arabia alone, for example, there are 200,000 new graduates annually, and the state sector, until now the main employer, has been struggling to maintain its historic absorption of new jobs.

In total, the Arab world will have to create 100 million new jobs in the next 20 years alone - more than we have achieved during the whole last century! It is simply not sustainable, nor indeed desirable or efficient, for this increase in the labor force to be absorbed by the state sector," said Mr. Jafar, who is also a member of AUS Board of Trustees.

"The difference is all about being 'gainfully' employed as opposed to being 'productively' employed, the former amounting usually to no more than an unproductive hand-out, whereas the latter means a healthy economy that benefits everyone," Mr. Jafar said.

"Encouragement of a robust and growing private sector is therefore critical to the region's socio-economic well-being, as well as to its security, indeed the security of the whole world," he added.

He said that there is an urgent need all across the Arab world for improvement in the standards of education and in providing opportunities for women in particular.

This was not simply a matter of political correctness, he stated, but an economic imperative, "without addressing this vital issue, we are neglecting half of our population and potential economic output," he said. "Not to mention that, as the mothers of the next generation, the education and empowerment of the women of the Arab World is critical to the competitive effectiveness of tomorrow's professionals and workforce. Indeed, the whole economy." In his address, Jafar saluted the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, in establishing AUS as a beacon and great example of a regional institution critical to training a productive workforce of leaders for the next generation.

"The challenges are great, almost daunting, but the trends are generally positive, and there has been a growing push from the highest political levels to encourage private sector growth, entrepreneurship, and economic diversification. After all, worldwide the private sector is by far the largest employer and creator of jobs!" he said.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qassimi, this day-long conference, entitled "Innovative Approaches to Business, Information, and Management in the Digitally Networked World," is being held in an effort to create a forum for the open exchange of ideas as it pertains to business and information management as well as to promote understanding among professionals in the academic and digitally networked business world in particular.

Through its presentations and panels, the conference is highlighting several business issues including the situation of Arab markets, the risks behind launching businesses, the improvement of customer relationships, etc.

Other renowned speakers at the event include Mr. Haissam Arabi, Managing Director of Shuaa Asset Management, Mr. Essam Al Tamimi, Founder and Senior Partner of Al Tamimi and Company who spoke on the developments of the UAE legal system, Dr. Frank Miles, CEO of Smarter Technology, who spoke about "High Performance Computing in the Educational World", and Arif Amiri, Director, Investor Relations, Corporate Governance and Business Development, Emaar Properties.

The event also included several academic panels in which leading business professionals, AUS professors, students, and the members of the community participated in open discussions relating to e-government, business risks, and education, among other topics.

Academic sessions taking place simultaneously across the campus also covered further issues in economics, marketing, management information systems, accounting, etc.

Activities were also scheduled for participants including tours to Sharjah and Dubai and a desert safari that were organized to "introduce the UAE to professionals who came specifically to attend the conference," according to Dr. Kustim Wibowo, Professor of Management Information Systems and co-chair of the event.