Last week’s third ArabNet conference for digital entrepreneurs in the MENA region was, by the standard of these things, a modest affair. But nonetheless it showed how the regional digital economy has grown, and how it is poised to take off. As one commentator said: “Jordan for the talent, Lebanon for the creativity, Egypt for the eyeballs and Saudi Arabia for the purchasing power.”
Currently, for a region that is awash with cash, the Internet economy is tiny. According to figures published by ArabNet, Turkey has half the number of Internet users as the whole Middle East and North Africa region. Yet Turkey’s e-commerce market, at around $12 billion, is roughly three times that of the MENA region. So what is holding the region back?
