Cairo - Egypt's International Cooperation Minister Sahar Nasr said that her Ministry is providing training and finance for youth and women. Nasr's remarks followed an announcement by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi that 2017 will be the year of women, Egypt's state-run Middle East News Agency reported. She made it clear that the Ministry is seeking to increase funding for women from 40 to 50 percent with the aim to help them enter the business sector. According to Nasr, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of any economic programs of the government because they help achieve sustainable development.