Get to know our German-Arab Mentoring Program Ouissal
The Program
The Arabic name Ouissal means “bridge” or “connection” and reflects the goal of the German-Arab mentoring program: bringing together women entrepreneurs and female executives for shared learning, intercultural exchange, and meaningful contributions to global economic and social development.
The program was initiated more than ten years ago by the Euro-Mediterranean-Arab Association (EMA e.V.) and is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
The aim of Ouissal is to promote economic and social participation of women in their home countries and their international networking.
The programme selects around 45 women entrepreneurs from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Germany, who work together in groups over the course of a year on the implementation of the mentee’s business plan or further business and career development.
New This Year: Group Mentoring!
Unlike previous editions with 1-on-1 mentoring format, this year we are introducing a brand new group mentoring format. 3 mentees will be carefully matched with 1 mentor and will work together over the course of a year to improve the mentee’s business plan. This format not only allows mentees to benefit from the mentor’s expertise but also to learn from each other’s experiences, challenges, and solutions, creating a richer, more dynamic learning environment
Throughout the year, participants take part in in-person workshops at the kick-off meetings, join regular online group mentoring sessions, and attend targeted online trainings on key topics such as sustainability, digitalization, finance, marketing, and more. In addition, they expand their regional and international network through networking event such as the German-Arab Women’s Forum in Berlin.
Ouissal is more than a program: it is a community of inspiring women who help and encourage each other.
Program Schedule
APPLICATION DEADLINE
September 30th, 2025
(Announcement of admission:
mid-October)
KICK-OFF MEETINGS
Morocco: 27-31 October 2025
Jordan: 12-16 January 2026
Egypt: 9-13 February 2026
VIRTUAL
MENTORING PHASE
March to August 2026
GERMAN - ARAB WOMEN’S FORUM
October 2026
How does the the program work?
Application & Selection
Matchmaking
Kick-off meeting
Virtual Group Mentoring Phase
Virtual Online Workshops
German-Arab Women’s Forum Application & SelectionApplication Process
- Submit your application carefully by September 30, 2025 so we can find the best match for you.
- After the application phase, the Ouissal team will review the applications and conduct interviews with potential candidates.
- Selected participants for Ouissal 2024/25 will be informed in mid-October, along with their assigned Kick-off country.
MatchmakingMatchmaking
- Personality is more important than industry background.
- Our experience shows that while there are differences, it is the similarities that truly connect us.
- The matching process has two steps:
- An AI-based tool suggests possible matches based on application forms.
- The Ouissal team reviews these suggestions individually and finalizes the matches.
Kick-off meetingKick-off Meeting
- Once participant selection is complete, the program begins with the Kick-off meeting in the assigned host country: Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, or Morocco.
- Initial introduction between mentor and mentees.
- Kick-off meetings usually run from Monday to Friday. Participants living in the host country are expected to attend the meeting there.
- The focus of the Kick-off meeting:
- Setting goals, milestones, expectations, and boundaries.
- Establishing a shared group agreement.
- In-person attendance is mandatory.
Virtual Group Mentoring PhaseVirtual Group Mentoring Phase
- Weekly virtual group mentoring sessions are recommended, but frequency can be agreed individually between mentors and mentees.
- Content input comes from the mentees.
- Attitude and mindset: openness, reflection, curiosity, willingness to experiment, courage, stepping out of the comfort zone, and readiness to learn.
- All mentoring sessions are recorded.
- The aim during this phase:
- Strengthen the mentee’s business plan by integrating sustainability and digitalization.
- Ensure that by the end of the mentoring phase, each mentee has a solid business plan.
- Additional sessions:
- Mentor-only meetings for feedback.
- Mentee-only meetings for exchange and feedback.
Virtual Online WorkshopsVirtual Online Workshops
- Conducted during the mentoring phase by experts facilitators
- Topics are tailored to the needs of mentees and focus on sustainability and digitalization.
- All educational events are geared towards participant orientation and subject orientation and touch on both formal and informal learning
German-Arab Women’s Forum German-Arab Women’s Forum
- Takes place at the end of the virtual mentoring phase in Berlin. Selected participants will join the forum, and some will present their business plans.
- Benefits:
- A unique opportunity to build connections with other entrepreneurs in an intercultural environment.
- A chance to present your business to an audience from business, politics, and society.
- Integration into the wider German-Arab women’s network.
- Participants also benefit from the established EMA network across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine.
- Strengthening local group networks, expanding personal networks, and sharing progress.
New This Year: Group Mentoring!
What is Cross Culture Group mentoring?
- Structured group mentoring with one experienced mentor and a small group of 2-3 mentees (approximately 9 months)
- Mentor: shares knowledge, strategies, tools and facilitates dialouge
- Mentee: contribute experience, ask questions, reflect together
- Mentor and mentee: not from the same company & different cultural backgrounds
- Combination of individual support and group based learning
- Peer learning: Mentees learn from each other’s perspectives and challenges
- Multi-level development: professional, personal and social competence growth
- Talking about challenges without worrying about disadvantages for one’s own professional career.
Difference mentoring and coaching
Mentoring | Coaching |
Exploration and experiential knowledge | Navigation and methodology |
This means that a mentor does not lead structured and prepared conversations, as a coach does. Rather, mentoring creates an exchange of experience through shared exploration of similar experienced topics through topics that are navigated by the mentee. In mentoring, both learn. And both reflect as well. It is important to know the differences between mentoring and coaching. This prevents misunderstandings and unfulfilled expectations in the tandem.
Overarching goals
Digitalization & Sustainability – Social-Ecological Transformation – Empowerment – Diversity
Digitalization & Sustainability: Successful development of the mentees’ businesses, particularly with regard to sustainability and digitalization.
Social-ecological transformation: Sustainability must be thought of and implemented ecologically, socially and economically. This is the only way to succeed in overcoming climate change. This is not possible without women!
Empowerment: Experience has shown that mentoring gives young women entrepreneurs the courage to continue on the generally rocky path after the start-up phase and under the aggravating conditions of the political and socio-economic situation in their countries. True to the motto of empowerment: don’t give up – together we are strong!
Diversity: Mentoring is a contribution to more diversity in business and creates understanding for the added values that result from it. Since our cross-mentoring programme Ouissal covers several diversity dimensions at once, it is particularly attractive and sustainable in terms of strengthening equality and intercultural understanding.
Selection criteria
Why participate in Ouissal?
Added values for mentors and mentees
Mentors
Mentees
- Development of a constructive mentoring relationship
- Reflection on own career 🡪 Role Model
- Network expansion (other mentees and mentors)
- Strengthening of own competences + development of counselling competences, among others
- Getting to know the HR development tool mentoring
- Personal support without responsibility for results
- Strengthening the image as a promoter
- Acquisition of intercultural competence
- Insights into other (corporate) cultures
- Up-to-date academic knowledge
- Getting to know the wishes and goals of a younger generation
- Participation economic participation of women in North Africa (🡪 contribution to international understanding, promotion of women)
- Development of a constructive mentoring relationship with a professionally experienced manager.
- Support for career and career planning
- Networking (other mentees and mentors)
- Reorientation and broadening of horizons
- Expanding the comfort zone
- Competence development (constructive feedback, dealing with conflicts, networking, ...)
- Personality development
- Acquisition of intercultural competence
- Insights into other (corporate) cultures
- Access to national and international associations and networking contacts
