Egypt's Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA), in partnership with Vodafone Egypt, Samsung Electronics Egypt, and CARE Egypt, has launched a nationwide initiative to empower one million women with digital and entrepreneurial skills—starting with underserved communities in Upper Egypt. The programme, dubbed "Maaki" ("With You" in Arabic), aims to bridge the digital divide and promote women's economic inclusion through tailored training and access to resources for starting small businesses. Basil Rahmy, CEO of MSMEDA, said the initiative underscores the importance of public-private partnerships in achieving Egypt's Vision 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. "We're working with development partners to expand financial and technical services for women, particularly in border and rural areas," Rahmy noted. "This initiative will help women access modern technology and entrepreneurship opportunities to build better futures and stronger communities." The launch builds on MSMEDA's broader strategy, which since 2014 has funded over 918,000 women-led projects with 17.9 billion Egyptian pounds, generating around 1.2 million jobs across the country. The multi-stakeholder partnership reflects Egypt's growing focus on inclusive development, with digital empowerment and female entrepreneurship at its core. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: Y.Yasser
