Amman, 15 March 2014 - Dr. Abdul Malik Jaber, Chairman of Middle East Payment Services (MEPS) - a leading, innovative payment services provider in the Levant - presented the biggest challenges facing youth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region during his participation as an official speaker at ArabNet Beirut, the largest regional event for the digital creative sector, held in Lebanon.

During his speech, Dr. Jaber focused on the issue of unemployment, saying, "Youth represent more than 70% of the MENA's population, with unemployment reaching 30% among youth with university degrees. At the same time, we have 60 million Facebook users and more than 90 million individuals with internet access. These facts tell us that we have a big challenge in the Arab World that we have to attend to. We need to build an enabling eco-system that allows talented young Arabs to innovate and be entrepreneurial. Governments can't address unemployment problems alone, and we need to create viable partnerships with the private sector and academic establishments to open the door for the region's start-ups and SMEs to thrive and advance."

Held for its fifth year, ArabNet is a platform that brings together talented youth, investors and public authorities to discuss and explore what can be done in the domain of entrepreneurship and creating opportunities for youth. The 2014 conference featured more than 75 speakers from the Arab World and beyond, and drew the participation of over 600 CEOs, entrepreneurs, developers, designers and digital professionals.

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About MEPS
MEPS is an innovative regional payment services provider, offering secure e-commerce payment gateway solutions, PCI and security services, as well as a comprehensive set of customized, value-added services that meets the growing demand for payment solutions throughout the region. Additionally, MEPS is a payment processor, card issuer and merchant acquirer of payment cards in Jordan, Palestine and Iraq. www.mepspay.com

This press release has been distributed by Bidaya Corporate Communications on behalf of Middle East Payment Services (MEPS).

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