Dubai: The Middle East and North Africa’s (Mena’s) underdeveloped cleantech sector faces critical challenges to growth, according to a report issued this week.

The report, Mena’s Cleantech Startups — Unlocking the Path to Solving Environmntal Challenges, indicates that entrepreneurs feel lack of consumer awareness contributes to slow growth in the sector despite innovative solutions from emerging start-ups.

Other growth-limiting factors listed in the report, by GE and Wanda, include lack of access to markets, a small pool of specialised investment sources, few specialised mentors, and minimal research and development resources.

Rania Rostom, ‎GE’s Chief Innovation Officer for the Middle East, North Africa & Turkey, said: “Mena’s demand for energy is set to increase by 114 per cent while per capita availability of water will be cut by half in the region by 2050. Cleantech start-ups can play an effective role in meeting these challenges. Through our partnership with Wamda, we are driving the creation of a local innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem. The white paper is a great example of how the private sector can collaborate to boost local entrepreneurship, especially in the cleantech sector. “Our focus is to provide market knowledge, as well as networking and mentorship opportunities that will help them take their businesses to the next level of growth. GE’s regional innovation centers and digital industrial technologies will play a key role in supporting these ventures, highlighting our long-term commitment to promoting sustainable development.”

Innovative solutions

The report, presented at the Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) in Dubai on Tuesday, says growing the cleantech entrepreneurial ecosystem is strategically vital for the region, which needs innovative solutions to address environmental challenges.

Habib Haddad, co-founder and CEO of Wamda, added: “Mena is a logical location for cleantech start-ups, given its environmental challenges and growing regional support for entrepreneurship. Despite their tremendous potential for positive change, cleantech start-ups do not receive adequate levels of targeted support, and if left unchecked, it could become a missed opportunity for the region to develop innovative environmental solutions. Through our partnership with GE for the MEMakers initiative, we are hoping to bring a tangible change to the cleantech landscape of the region.”