A Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) delegation visited Egyptian Handicrafts Exhibition Turathna 2022 organized by MSMEDA under the auspices of President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El Sisi from October 9-15.
During the visit, the delegation inspected the booth allocated for the Project: “Contribution to Job Creation for Women in Upper Egypt” implemented by MSMEDA and funded by AECID. According to the Project, women from among six Upper Egypt and border governorates receive vocational training on the different handicrafts.
Project Manager of Spanish Cooperation Office in Egypt Maria Tarancon said cooperation between AECID and MSMEDA, even though the first of its kind, has achieved tangible success on both the strategic and executive levels. Through this cooperation, Tarancon added, specialized vocational training courses on handicrafts for women are launched inside productive clusters in targeted governorates. She indicated these courses were designed according to the actual needs of women that have been previously identified and this has yielded positive results.
Project Manager elaborated the participation of the Project trainees in this round of Turathna Exhibition 2022 accentuates the success of the Project in attaining its objectives, namely, assisting women in Upper Egypt and border areas in upgrading their skills and starting micro enterprises. These enterprises, the Project Manager reiterated, help empower these women and create for them and their families as well an adequate source of income These products, manufactured by women beneficiaries, meet the needs of the clients and enjoy distinctive marketing opportunities, especially, through Turathna Exhibition.
Head of MSMEDA’s Non-Financial Services Central Sector Dr. Raafat Abbas said the current round of Turathna Exhibition 2022 is characterized by the engagement of tens of women that have already benefited from the Project MSMEDA implements jointly with the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation. Dr. Abbas explained that under the Project, women beneficiaries have been trained on developing products based on palm tree waste in Aswan New Valley and Fayoum governorates and crafts based on needle works and embroidery in North and South Sinai and Matrouh governorates. He added these training courses have been implemented according to field visits to targeted areas to identify the actual needs of women and link them to the natural resources available in their respective governorates. These women, Dr. Abbas emphasized, have been assisted in establishing businesses of their own, familiarizing with online marketing and developing trademarks for their businesses.
Targets of the Project: Contribution to Job Creation for Women in Upper Egypt actually align with MSMEDA strategies for developing productive clusters, promoting competitive Egyptian products and empowering women in rural and remote areas.