The Herat Economic Debate was held at Jami University
The Afghanistan Economic & Legal Studies Organization (AELSO), in collaboration with Jami University, organized the Herat Economic Debate.
This debate was organized to exchange ideas, foster critical thinking, promote a culture of dialogue, expand scientific methods, and deepen awareness and learning about the reciprocal relationship between technology and entrepreneurship—from artificial intelligence to online sales platforms—with the participation of experts, university professors, youth, and students.
The program’s experts initially discussed the importance and role of technology and entrepreneurship, emphasizing that entrepreneurship is essential for technological development, and technological advancement provides a foundation for entrepreneurship. They explained that entrepreneurship addresses needs through new technologies, ultimately resulting in not only innovation in new products but also solving social needs, creating employment for others, increasing profitability for companies and individuals, and fostering technological development.
According to the debate experts, entrepreneurship and technology share a reciprocal relationship and interaction, which, when utilized correctly and timely, yields positive and constructive outcomes. With the rapid advancement of technology worldwide, the connection between entrepreneurship and technology has become deeply intertwined. Technology is considered one of the key domains of this phenomenon and has significantly impacted entrepreneurship and its processes positively.
The debaters described the emergence of online markets as a revolution in the field of entrepreneurship, adding that online markets provide an excellent opportunity for software exports due to their borderless nature, enabling easy and seamless trade. They highlighted that online markets offer several advantages, such as supply based on demand, attracting more customers, no time or location constraints, global accessibility, ease of service access, the ability to compare products, time efficiency, product diversity, competitive pricing, and access to extensive product information.
On the other hand, alongside these advantages, online markets also face challenges. If these challenges are not accurately identified and effectively managed, they could pose significant threats.
The program’s experts identified cultural issues as the primary challenge facing online markets. They emphasized that the lack of a culturally conducive environment in society and the absence of a proper culture for utilizing technology and online markets remain fundamental obstacles. These challenges lead to mistrust, ethical lapses, and misuse in this domain.
In the Herat Economic Debate, participants also shared their views and posed questions, highlighting the importance of technology and entrepreneurship in today’s era. They stated that entrepreneurial activities and businesses with technological infrastructure not only help identify business opportunities but also facilitate entry into competitive markets, leading to increased demand and a larger customer base.
At the end of the Herat Economic Debate, the role of technology and entrepreneurship in economic development and unemployment reduction was emphasized. There was a focus on the rational and purposeful use of technology to develop entrepreneurial frameworks, create cultural foundations, develop supportive and regulatory strategies, strengthen the role of scientific and intellectual centers in promoting the culture of technology and entrepreneurship, and the importance of organizing various scientific and research programs in this field.