by laila hussein

Tuesday, August 9, 2022, within the context of partnership between MSMEDA and international donor agencies on women empowerment, particularly, in Upper Egypt's governorates, 

MSMEDA, in cooperation with United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Ministry of Trade and Industry and the National Council for Women, started an enlarged campaign to raise entrepreneurial awareness of 2300 women in the governorates of Giza, Fayoum, Minya and Beni Suef.

This cooperation comes within the framework of the Project “Rabha” MSMEDA is implementing together with UNIDO.
Head of MSMEDA’s Central Sector for Non-Financial Sector Dr. Raafat Abbas said more than 2500 women have benefited from the awareness workshops MSMEDA organized side by side with UNIDO inside villages and districts near to productive clusters in Giza, Fayoum, Minya and Beni Suef governorates related to handicrafts, dates, aromatic and medicinal herbs.

Dr. Abbas added the purpose of this cooperation is to develop skills of engaged women, help them access MSMEDA’s financial and non-financial services so that they are more enabled to establish new enterprises based on raw materials available in their governorates and better empowered to get non-traditional employment opportunities as well.
Dr. Abbas stated that following the wrap up of the awareness campaign, hundreds of women and entrepreneurs who participated in the awareness workshops would be selected and nominated for specific entrepreneurship training courses (how to start a business enterprise/how to develop a business plan!). He explained this would upgrade their skills, open new marketing horizons for their enterprises and render them profitable and sustainable.
UNIDO Deputy Regional Director Ahmed Risk emphasized the importance of such activities in familiarizing women with support programs and services offered by the governmental organs. He voiced UNIDO’s continued willingness to cooperate with MSMEDA on issues pertaining to entrepreneurship and MSME development thanks to the strategic role MSMEDA plays and its outreach capacities to access target groups in all the governorates of Egypt. UNIDO Deputy Regional Director added a new phase would start to provide training for around 600 women entrepreneurs in the targeted governorates on practical steps necessary for starting their businesses.