Entrepreneur by necessity
For Shaymaa Saeed, a young disabled Egyptian crochet designer and craftswoman, entrepreneurship was not a lifestyle choice but a necessity. Health problems prevented her from getting a formal job, forcing her to rethink how she could make a living.
“I started my project from home in 2018 due to health problems, after I couldn’t get a job,” he said. UN News.
Instead of giving up, I turned my hobby into a source of income.
What started as a personal coping strategy gradually turned into a viable business. Ms. Saeed participated in some of Egypt’s most important craft exhibitions, building trust and visibility along the way.
Recently, she presented her work for the first time outside her home country, marking an important milestone in her journey.
Go on stage
“My participation marks my first step on the international stage,” he said, noting the role of business training and institutional support. “The support I received helped me grow personally and professionally, with greater confidence.”
Shaymaa Saeed, a young Egyptian businesswoman attending WEIF in Bahrain.
All the issues raised by Ms Saeed’s experiences will be discussed during this week’s Sixth World Enterprise Investment Forum (WEIF) in Bahrain’s capital Manama, where a parallel exhibition on home-based entrepreneurship shows how targeted support can turn personal challenges into economic opportunities.
Organized by the International Bureau for Technology Promotion and Innovation of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Bahrain, the meeting brings together entrepreneurs, policymakers and investors from dozens of countries.
big dreams
Ms Saeed’s business remains entirely home-based and online, but her ambitions go far beyond that. “I don’t have a physical store yet, but I dream of having my own space to display and sell my work, and reach markets around the world as a successful small business.”
Ms. Saeed is candid about the reality of building a business from scratch. “Success doesn’t come overnight,” he said. “It is a continuous journey of effort, learning and development.”
I dream of having my own space to exhibit and sell my work, and reach markets around the world.
Similar themes are emerging from other women who use art and entrepreneurship as vehicles of agency and expression.
Bahraini visual artist and art teacher Mariam Sayed Anwar, who also lives with a disability, described creativity as discipline and emotional release.
“My work moves between still lifes, portraits, charcoal, pencil and acrylic,” he explained, highlighting the importance of experimentation. “I never limit myself to just one medium.”
For her, art communicates what language sometimes cannot communicate. “Through painting and brushes, I can express what is in my heart and soul more than writing could. Art is my language; when words are silent, my work speaks for me.”
A speaker takes the stage at the Global Entrepreneur Investment Forum 2026 in Manama, Bahrain.
International exhibition
Beyond individual stories, African entrepreneurs gathered in Bahrain highlight the structural conditions that determine success or failure.
Zimbabwean businesswoman Dr Roselyn Musaruru-Wacharewa said exposure to international networks had reshaped her understanding of what is possible, not just for individual women, but for entire regions.
From Zimbabwe, entrepreneur Dr Roselyn Musaruru-Wacharewa describes how exposure to international platforms in Bahrain has changed her perspective.
“In many African countries, governments tax entrepreneurs so much that it feels like they want to put them out of business,” he said, contrasting this with environments where policies actively encourage entrepreneurship.
Her call was forceful: African businesswomen are ready, but governments must “change the narrative and give them real access and recognition.”
Guterres highlights role of private sector
United Nations leaders and national officials echoed the importance of creating such enabling conditions, although the emphasis remained on results rather than rhetoric.
In his message in Bahrain on Tuesday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres underlined the role of the private sector as an engine of employment, innovation and investment, particularly through micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, which represent approximately two-thirds of global employment.
He stressed that growth must go hand in hand with respect for human rights and labor standards, and with expanding opportunities for those left behind.
UNIDO officials highlighted youth and women as central drivers of innovation, while Bahraini authorities pointed to national initiatives that support youth and women entrepreneurs, along with strategies that encompass artificial intelligence and new technologies.
lived experience
However, the strongest arguments for inclusive growth came not from political statements, but from lived experience.
From home businesses run entirely online to art that speaks where words fail, entrepreneurs like Shaymaa Saeed illustrate what becomes possible when talent meets opportunity, and what is lost when barriers persist.