Queen Rania meets with Tunisian first lady, attends roundtable discussion

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania met with Tunisian First Lady Chadlia Saïda Farhat, while accompanying His Majesty King Abdullah on a working visit to Tunisia on Sunday.

During their meeting, Queen Rania and the first lady discussed common interests and noted the longstanding friendship between their two counties and peoples, and their hopes for it to grow, according to a statement sent from the Royal Court.

Queen Rania also visited the town of Sidi Bou Said, where she joined a group of Tunisian entrepreneurs, start-up founders and business accelerators for a roundtable discussion on their efforts to support innovation and entrepreneurship in the country.

Hosted by start-up accelerator programme and investment fund Flat6Labs, the meeting was attended by representatives from the education, aeronautics, e-commerce and agriculture sectors, who presented their innovative solutions to challenges faced by their industries.

Launched in 2016 in partnership with entrepreneurial initiative Le15, Flat6Labs is now present in six countries across the region, where it utilises its strategic network to provide entrepreneurs with seed funding, strategic mentorship, office space, training and other services.

Her Majesty is a strong supporter of young entrepreneurs in Jordan and beyond, working towards advancing innovation and development through the Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development, which aims to be a leading regional resource and incubator for new and innovative ideas and initiatives in education, the statement added.

During the discussion, the young entrepreneurs shared their success stories and challenges as they work to grow their projects. They also highlighted recent local improvements to the business environment in Tunisia through new regulatory frameworks.