The International Monetary Fund concludes a workshop to hone the skills of content makers to prepare economic reports on social media

Dubai, December 25 / WAM / The International Monetary Fund (the regional office of the International Monetary Fund in Riyadh and the Communications Department), in cooperation with the New Media Academy, organized a specialized workshop, targeting media professionals and content makers on social media who specialize in the economic and financial sectors from various countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, under the title “Skills for creating economic content on social media and the impact of artificial intelligence in the media.”

The Influencers Headquarters, the first headquarters for influencers in the Emirates and the Middle East, which falls under the umbrella of the Visionaries Group, hosted the workshop in which officials from the International Monetary Fund and experts in content creation from the New Media Academy participated, and it was presented by: Wafa Amr, Chief Communications Officer at the International Monetary Fund, Dr. Abdul Aziz Wen, Director of the Fund’s Regional Office in Riyadh, Dr. Sami bin Nasser, Director of the International Monetary Fund’s Center for Economics and Finance in the Middle East in Kuwait, and Alaa Salha, Director of the Academy. SRMG, Nour Amasha, senior anchor for economic programs in the Middle East, Bloomberg, and Ahmed Bassiouni, digital content and talent development expert at the New Media Academy.

The workshop provided participants with an opportunity to exchange opinions on economic and financial issues related to the Middle East and North Africa region, and to discuss best practices in creating economic content on social media in a simplified and accessible manner.

The participants also discussed the most prominent economic and financial issues in the region, and exchanged views on the best methods for providing clear economic content available to the public via digital platforms.

The workshop witnessed practical sessions on storytelling that focused on supporting content makers in providing meaningful economic and financial content capable of reaching various segments of society.

The participants in the workshop discussed how artificial intelligence and influential content makers are contributing to reshaping the media landscape in the region, and stressed the importance of simplifying economic and financial terminology for the public, especially young people, in light of the widespread use of social media among young age groups.

Hussein Al-Atouli, Director of the New Media Academy, said that the workshop aims to facilitate the work of media professionals and content makers in producing objective economic and financial content, which contributes to deepening the knowledge of the public, especially the younger generation, about economic and financial issues with clarity and transparency, as young users, especially Generation Z, represent a major force in the digital system, as they constitute approximately 25% to 35% of the total users of social media platforms globally.

He pointed out that this generation is considered one of the most active and influential groups on digital platforms, especially in applications that rely on “trends” such as Tik Tok and Snapchat, as it directly contributes to shaping content, digital culture, and consumption patterns.

He added that the rise of young social media users, especially Generation Z, is reshaping the map of the global economy, and the purchasing power of Generation Z is expected to reach $12.6 trillion annually by 2030, making it one of the highest spending generations in history and a major driver of digital commerce and brand growth.

He explained that advertising revenues through innovative content and digital creators are rapidly exceeding traditional media, with accelerated growth in advertising spending as a result of companies’ focus on attracting the attention of young people, pointing out that this shift redirects marketing budgets, stimulates product innovation, and shapes consumer demand globally.

For his part, Abdulaziz Wen said that audiences across the Middle East and North Africa are looking for clear, accurate, human-centered economic stories, and the regional office in Riyadh is looking forward to strengthening its partnership with the New Media Academy and content makers to convey complex economic stories to the audience in a simplified manner free of technical jargon.

For her part, Wafa Amr said that this workshop comes within the framework of the International Monetary Fund’s interaction with global media and content makers on social media, as she highlighted how to benefit from the Fund’s research, including research related to artificial intelligence, to produce purposeful content that explains how sound policies can improve economic outcomes and enhance people’s quality of life.

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