Forward Mena

What Forward Mena does

Forward Mena (also referred to in source material as Forward Digital MENA) is a Lebanon-based non-profit that operates the nammiskills platform, a digital skills training system designed to provide university students and alumni with market-ready digital capabilities intended to improve employability in the regional digital economy. The platform's stated value proposition is bridging the gap between academic instruction and employer requirements, and its product focus is on practical, market-aligned digital skills rather than general education content.

The organization's go-to-market is community- and institution-led rather than direct-to-consumer: the platform is distributed through university partnerships, exemplified by a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Balamand signed on February 23, 2026, and is implemented in collaboration with UNICEF and the World Bank under the Skilling-up Lebanon initiative. The only documented leadership figure is co-founder and board member Elias Boustani, and the firm reports 51–100 employees with a Beirut, Lebanon headquarters and a stated regional remit across MENA.

The business model is not commercially disclosed: there is no pricing model, no revenue figure, and no funding rounds in the source material, consistent with a non-profit model reliant on institutional and multilateral programmatic support. Customer concentration is high by implication, with a single named university contract and two multilateral counterparties (UNICEF, World Bank) channeling program support, and there is no evidence of AI/ML capabilities, patents, certifications, or material product launches beyond the nammiskills platform itself.

Name

Forward Mena

Website

https://forwardmena.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Forward Mena is a Lebanon-based non-profit operating the nammiskills digital skills training platform for university students and alumni, distributed through institutional partnerships with UNICEF, the World Bank, and Lebanese universities under the Skilling-up Lebanon initiative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Skills Training / Education Technology

NAICS

Computer Training (611420), Computer Training (61142), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Skills & Tech Upskilling (Noncredit) (EDAAAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Bootcamps & Accelerated Reskilling (Full-time/Part-time) (BPAEANAE), Internship/Apprenticeship Matching & Work-Based Learning Platforms (EDAFAMAL), Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance (BPADAEAL)

Keywords

• Digital skills training
• Workforce development
• Education technology
• Youth employability
• MENA skilling

Headquarters

HQ city

Beirut

HQ country

Lebanon

HQ region

Middle East

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Go-to-market motion1 record

Core offering

Forward Mena operates the nammiskills platform, a digital skills training product that delivers market-ready digital skills to university students and alumni. The platform is implemented in partnership with UNICEF and the World Bank under the Skilling-up Lebanon initiative, targeting higher education populations to bridge academic education with employer demand in the digital economy.

Product overview

Forward Digital MENA operates as a single unified platform offering the nammiskills platform, which provides digital skills training to bridge education with market needs and enhance graduates' employability in the digital economy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• nammiskills platform A digital skills training platform that delivers market-ready digital skills training to university students and alumni, bridging academic education with employer demand in the digital economy. It is deployed to higher education institutions in MENA (initially Lebanon) under the Skilling-up Lebanon initiative.

Quantifiable outcome

• Enhanced employability for graduates in the digital economy

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• University of BalamandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 February 2026The University of Balamand signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Forward Digital MENA on February 23, 2026. This partnership provides students and alumni with market-ready digital skills through the nammiskills platform, aiming to bridge education with market needs and enhance graduates' employability in the digital economy.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNICEF provides support for the Forward Digital MENA platform implementation, contributing to youth digital skills development initiatives in the MENA region under the Skilling-up Lebanon initiative.
• World BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe World Bank partners with Forward Digital MENA under the Skilling-up Lebanon initiative to support digital skills training for students and graduates, enhancing workforce readiness in Lebanon's digital economy.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Udemy: Global marketplace for digital and technical skills courses widely used by MENA learners and graduates for self-directed upskilling. Comparable product category and end-user behavior, but a global incumbent rather than a regionally focused institutional partner.
• Coursera: Global online learning platform offering digital skills, professional certificates, and degree-aligned content. Comparable as a digital skills training channel that university students and alumni use for employability, but operates at much larger scale and scope.
• EdCast / Cornerstone: Enterprise learning and talent development platforms focused on workforce digital skills. Comparable in the upskilling and employability problem space, but sells into large employers and institutions globally rather than serving students directly.
• LinkedIn Learning: Enterprise and individual digital skills training offering from LinkedIn, with strong adoption among job-seeking graduates in MENA. Comparable as a digital skills and employability training channel for the same end user.

Direct peers

• Edraak: Arabic-language MOOC platform offering digital and professional courses across the MENA region. Closely comparable to Forward Mena as an institutional, non-profit-style digital skills provider focused on Arabic-speaking learners and workforce readiness.
• iSchool: MENA-based EdTech delivering technology and digital skills courses to students and young professionals. Comparable target user, regional footprint, and focus on market-ready digital competencies.
• Abwaab: MENA-focused EdTech platform providing supplemental digital learning and skills content to students and graduates. Directly comparable to Forward Mena in target learner, regional focus, and mission of improving employability through digital skills training.
• Injaz Al-Arab / Injaz Lebanon: Regional non-profit network delivering workforce readiness and digital skills programs to university students across MENA, including Lebanon. Highly comparable in non-profit model, learner segment, and donor/partnership-driven delivery.

Regional players

• Doroob: Saudi national digital training platform providing e-learning and digital skills to job seekers and students, with similar mission and similar institutional/government sponsorship model. Regional MENA peer rather than direct Lebanese competitor.

Emerging players

• Mawdoo3 / MENA-focused learning content providers: MENA-language digital content and AI platform with adjacent education and skills initiatives. Comparable regional focus and Arabic-language content orientation, though not a direct training platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Forward.mena
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forward-mena

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forward Mena