I recently interviewed Nafez Dakkak. Nafez is originally from Jordan and currently lives in the UK, where he is the CEO of the Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development. Nafez is also pursuing a part-time Master’s Degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Nafez spent most of his career working in the Middle East, where he founded the Ed Tech platform Edraak. Nafez took Edraak from concept to full execution, reaching over 250,000 learners across the Arab world in under 12 months and with the company now reaching millions of learners across the Arab world. He has been at the forefront of Ed Tech in the Middle East, and has written a seminal piece on the topic titled, “MENA: Ed Tech’s Sleeping Giant.” Nafez went to university in the US and currently lives in London.
What did we talk about?
His work with the Queen Rania Foundation and founding Edraak
Growing up across MENA
The evolution of the Ed Tech industry in the Middle East
Analysing companies targeting cultural niches, particularly in the Arab world
The global implications of remote work, Covid, and education
Fleabag, The Queen’s Gambit, The Art of Persia, and The Anarchy by William Dalrymple, Invest Like The Best, Arabic podcasts
Find Nafez on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/ndakkak
My interview with Nafez Dakkak - CEO of Queen Rania Foundation, Middle East Ed Tech Entrepreneur, and Understanding MENA