The sessions featured senior IMF officials and leading media and content industry experts, offering a blend of economic insight and practical storytelling guidance.
The International Monetary Fund, through its Regional Office in Riyadh and Communications Department, in collaboration with the New Media Academy, has hosted a specialised workshop in Dubai for journalists and social media creators focused on economics and finance from across the Middle East and North Africa.
Titled Economic and Social Media Content Creation Skills and Impact of AI on Media, the workshop was organised by the IMF’s Regional Office in Riyadh and the IMF Communications Department, and hosted at Creators HQ, a UAE-based content creator hub that operates across the wider Middle East as part of Visioneers Group.
The event brought together IMF officials alongside media and content industry experts from the New Media Academy. Sessions were led by Wafa Amr, Senior Communications Officer at the IMF; Dr. Abdoul Aziz Wane, Director of the IMF Regional Office in Riyadh; Dr Sami Ben Naceur, Director of the IMF Middle East Centre for Economics and Finance in Kuwait; Alaa Saleh, Director of the SRMG Academy; Nour Ammache, Senior Presenter of economic programmes at Asharq Bloomberg; and Ahmed Basyouni, Digital Content and Talent Development Expert at the New Media Academy.
Discussions focused on key economic and financial challenges facing the region, while exploring effective ways to produce clear and accessible economic content for social media platforms. Participants also examined the growing influence of artificial intelligence and digital creators on the MENA media landscape, alongside practical storytelling techniques to help simplify complex economic topics for wider audiences.
The workshop highlighted the importance of making economic and financial concepts more understandable to the public, particularly younger generations, given their heavy engagement with social media platforms.
Hussein Al Atoli, Director of the New Media Academy, said the initiative aimed to equip journalists and creators with the tools needed to produce objective economic and financial content while strengthening public understanding, especially among youth. He noted that Generation Z represents an estimated 25 to 35% of global social media users and is among the most active demographics on platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat.
Al Atoli added that Gen Z’s global purchasing power is expected to reach $12.6tn annually by 2030, with creator-led advertising revenues set to grow as brands increasingly target younger audiences.
Dr Abdoul Aziz Wane said audiences across the MENA region are seeking clear, accurate and people-focused economic narratives, adding that the IMF’s Regional Office in Riyadh looks forward to deepening collaboration with the New Media Academy and content creators to communicate complex economic issues without heavy technical language.
Wafa Amr noted that the workshop forms part of the IMF’s broader engagement with global media and social media influencers. She said it demonstrated how IMF research, including work on artificial intelligence, can support the creation of meaningful content that highlights how sound economic policies can improve outcomes and enhance people’s lives.
