Dubai: The Arab Strategy Forum’s ‘Elite Forecasters Challenge’ attracted more than 3,000 applications from Arab forecasters before registration closed earlier this month, and the tournament is now under way.
The tournament aims to develop future-focused analyses and forecasts on the most important political and economic events locally and globally this year, and to build a cadre of forecasters who will contribute to building a better future for the Arab world. The winning forecasters will be able to present their forecasts at the Arab Strategy Forum, ASF, to be held on December 12.
The challenge seeks to present future visions of the region, in light of difficult recent events, and to create a generation of Arab forecasters capable of meaningfully participating in the growth and development of the region.
The ASF first announced the challenge in early April and called on all Arab citizens to participate. Egypt contributed the most participants at 43.5 per cent, followed respectively by Algeria, Morocco, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Sudan, the UAE, Palestine, Tunisia, Oman, Yemen, Kuwait, Iraq, Mauritania, Somalia, Qatar, and Libya.
The ten participants with the best forecasting performance will be invited to attend the forum and be honoured. The top forecaster will receive a prize of $100,000 (Dh367,290) in the presence of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Challenge participants ages range from 20 to 85, and to be eligible for the top awards, each participant must provide forecasts on at least 50 of 60 questions asked between May and October, after which the selection of the top 10 will take place in November.
Issues addressed in the questions include, for example, developments in the Palestinian issue and peace talks, the expected economic growth of some Arab countries during the current year, events in Syria, and the war against terrorist groups in the Middle East.
