Sunday 09 Mar
Bassel Rahmy, CEO of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA), affirmed the agency's keenness to provide and facilitate various aspects of support for women, considering that their economic and social empowerment and maximizing their role in society is one of the pillars of MSMEDA's strategy. MSMEDA aims to encourage women to establish stable, profitable micro and small enterprises, improving their families' living standards.
To mark International Women's Day, Rahmy detailed MSMEDA's strategy for empowering women. This strategy centers on fostering a supportive environment for women to pursue self-employment, leverage various financing options and specialized programs, and receive technical and administrative assistance. These efforts aim to facilitate project establishment, expansion, and long-term success.
With the support of the political leadership and in
implementation of the directives of Dr. Moustafa Madbouly, Prime Minister and
Chairman of the agency's board of directors, over the 10-year period from July
2014 to December 2024, MSMEDA provided 17.4 billion Egyptian pounds in
financing to women's projects, supporting approximately 908,000 micro and small
enterprises. These projects constituted 45% of the agency's total funding
portfolio. The financing resulted in the creation of 1.2 million job
opportunities and 18.7 million workdays through community development
initiatives. Furthermore, 30% of MSMEDA's marketing services and
entrepreneurship training for 49,000 individuals were specifically targeted at
women's projects.
The MSMEDA CEO stated that the agency employs multiple
strategies to strengthen women's economic and social contributions. These
include providing free training and professional services to facilitate
self-employment and micro and small enterprise creation. He emphasized a focus
on supporting women's productive and craft clusters across governorates,
especially in the villages and hamlets of border and Upper Egypt regions, which
are deemed to have the most pressing economic development needs.
Rahmy stated that MSMEDA also conducts awareness and health
campaigns for women in rural areas as part of its social responsibility
programs, and provides literacy classes to enable their entry into the
workforce.
Rahmy highlighted that MSMEDA's support for women goes
beyond financial and technical assistance. It encompasses comprehensive
marketing services, including e-marketing, professional product photography,
and facilitating participation in central and local exhibitions. Women's
participation in local exhibitions reached approximately 55%.
Rahmy emphasized that MSMEDA remains committed to providing comprehensive support to women through collaboration with relevant state organizations. He urged all women and girls to visit the agency's branches in their respective governorates to explore and utilize the available services.
