Egypt launches National Initiative for Sustainable Entrepreneurs

Egypt’s Ministry of Environment launched on Tuesday the National Initiative for Sustainable Entrepreneurs (NISE) to support green economy.

The initiative is launched in partnership with the Centre for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE) and MedWaves (the UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre for Sustainable Consumption and Production).  

The initiative targets all stakeholders within the domain of entrepreneurship and sustainable economy in Egypt, who will receive substantial technical assistance as well as have access to stimulating business linkages.

Furthermore, they will benefit from an excellent training program that should qualify them to share the acquired know-how with a wider base of entrepreneurs nationwide.

The training includes 140 entrepreneurs in greater Cairo and Upper Egypt. The best 16 will benefit from an eight-month incubation stage that ultimately qualifies them to lead the way in sustainable entrepreneurship in Egypt.

The launch was attended by Sylvie Fontain, representative of the Delegation of the European Union to Egypt, Giorgio Mosangini, representing MedWaves, Hossam Allam, representing CEDARE and Heba Sharawy, representing the Ministry of Environment.

“NISE gathers multiple stakeholders (Business Support Organisations, Financial Institutions, Policy Makers, etc.) for the common goal of promoting the creation of sustainable and circular businesses which meet Egyptian main environmental challenges," Mosangini said.

Moreover, Allam, stated that they were “proud to launch the NISE at a time  when the Egyptian government, under the leadership of  President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, is focusing on fostering sustainable entrepreneurship and making substantial progress in that direction.”

In her speech, Sharawy said “The project’s main goal is to foster the transition to green economy and sustainable management of marine resources. It also aims to create jobs and to introduce environmental and sustainability standards to small and micro enterprises in Egypt”.

The NISE is launched within the framework of Egypt’s SwitchMed Down the Nile Project to support sustainable economy and green and blue entrepreneurship. It is in-line with Egypt’s efforts to encourage medium, small, and micro enterprises and with Egypt Vision 2030.

Source: ahramonline Mahmoud Bakr