Alwaleed Philanthropies “Global” and Ashoka Arab World celebrate the graduation of the second cycle of the “Innovation Factory” program in Morocco
Alwaleed Philanthropies “Global”, chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Alwaleed bin Talal AlSaud, and Ashoka Arab World are proud to celebrate the successful results of their unique partnership aiming to support social entrepreneurs across the Arab world, marked by the graduation of the second cycle of young social entrepreneurs in Morocco and the announcement of this year’s award winners. This event is part of their shared commitment to empower social entrepreneurs in our region.
The ceremony took place in Casablanca, Morocco’s economic capital, and was joined by Dr. Iman Bibars, Vice-President of Ashoka Global and Regional Director of Ashoka Arab World, Ms. Reem Mallawi, the Executive Manager of Global Initiatives at Alwaleed Philanthropies, alongside government officials, investors, entrepreneurs, and representatives of international institutions, on Thursday, September 4th, 2025.
This training cycle was implemented in Casablanca by the Moroccan Centre for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship MCISE, a leading training institution recognized as a hub for nurturing generations of creative youth in the Maghreb. This second cohort included a wide range of social enterprise projects tackling key issues ranging from environmental conservation, recycling through clean energy, eco-tourism and the revival of traditional handcrafts, livestock development and production of organic feed, raising children’s awareness of environmental challenges and engaging them in preservation efforts to empower youth with digitalization and other skills required for the labor market.
The Innovation Factory training program, launched through the partnership between Alwaleed Philanthropies “Global” and Ashoka Arab World supports changemakers—young women and men—committed to developing innovative social initiatives that address pressing challenges in their communities. The program equips them with the knowledge and skills they need to become active leaders of change capable of creating sustainable, positive impact.
This ambitious program is being implanted in 2 cycles over three years in 3 Arab countries: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Morocco, fostering opportunities for co-learning, collaboration, and knowledge exchange among young Arab changemakers.
Ms. Reem Mallawi, Alwaleed Philanthropies’ Executive Manager of Global Initiatives stated: “Alwaleed Philanthropies believes that meaningful change begins with a single individual who carries a vision and passion to make a difference in their community. Guided by this belief, we work to empower social entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into impactful and sustainable initiatives. In collaboration with Ashoka Arab World, we invest in the energy and talent of young women and youth, providing them with the training and support needed to enable them to launch pioneering projects that strengthen the sustainability of their communities and build a more prosperous future.”
Dr. Iman Bibars, Vice-President of Ashoka Global and Regional Director of Ashoka Arab World takes the audience through the journey of the second cohort of the Innovation Factory program. She explained that fifty young social entrepreneurs whose projects met the program’s criteria were selected to join a six-day intensive bootcamp. From there, fourteen of the most promising projects in the region of Casablanca-Settat advanced into a six-month accelerator program, where participants received intensive capacity-building training which covered all aspects of project development: market research and competitor analysis, business planning, financial management, and accurate pricing of services and products. Participants also benefited from technical support, mentorship, and networking opportunities with key stakeholders in entrepreneurship and community development in Morocco.
