Thursday March 28th, 2024
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AMIDEAST and CITI Foundation Launch Two-Year Entrepreneurship Programme in Egypt

The programme will give 40 Egyptian go-getters the tools to become the Middle East's leading entrepreneurs.

Staff Writer

Just as the mammoth RiseUp Summit hit Egypt last weekend, Amideast Egypt and Citi Foundation launched their brand new Youth Entrepreneurship programme in an effort to gather and support Egyptian wheelers-dealers between 18 and 30 years old to provide them with training and opportunities for real life application.

The programme will be open to 40 candidates who will be chosen and intensively trained to focus on developing economic opportunities through activities like entrepreneurship education, engagement in the formal economy, and the acquisition of leadership, financial, and workplace skills. “We will not only enable 40 star entrepreneurs to start businesses, but will also empower them to impact the lives of others," said Shahinaz Ahmed, AMIDEAST Egypt Country Director, adding that the candidates will also pay it forward by providing “state-of- the-art entrepreneurship skills training” to 600 youngsters to create awareness for the entrepreneurship path.

Applicants, however, are required to have two to four business partners who are committed to establish the business, as well as a fresh, innovative business plan that is focused on the development of Egypt in various areas - be it education, agriculture, transportation, or any others.

In 2016, emerging Egyptian startups brought plenty of promising businesses, hurled into the wheel of development, social change, and a diversification of the economy; but it’s not without immense trainings and long boot camps that these businesses succeeded. The chosen runners in the programme are going to be provided with 160-hour workshops on business management and personal developments, as well as interactive support via mentoring and coaching. There should be no worries regarding legality hurdles, as the programme will also provide financial and legal consultations on how to set up business in Egypt. Leading entrepreneurs in the region will also hold interactive lectures that are tailored upon each business idea proposed.

An American non-profit organisation, Amideast has engaged in international education, training and development activities in the Middle East and North Africa for over 50 years. Why entrepreneurship? According to an Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) study, 74 percent of young people in the Middle East and Africa wanted to start their own business and work for themselves. That's why Citi Foundation’s Pathways to Progress initiative chose entrepreneurship to be the theme of this two-year programme.

Applications are accepted until January 31st. Find out more and apply online on the programme's website.

Main image: Egyptian entrepreneurs sitting at Cairo's GrEEK Campus during the RiseUp Summit.

Photo credit: @MO4Network's @MO4Productions.