The Egyptian-based company, Arabian Cement has launched a social start-up programme, ‘Khaleeha Suessi' in partnership with Nahdet El Mahrousa. The programme aims to provide entrepreneurs with the tools they need to establish their own social start-ups. The start-up programme was launched at a press conference on 16 June, which was attended by Jose Maria Magrina, Arabian Cement Company's CEO, and Loay El-Shawarby, Chairperson of Nahdet El Mahrousa. In the first phase of the programme, which will run from 24 May to 4 July, applicants are invited to submit their initial proposals. Once these have been considered, 15 – 30 shortlisted applicants will be announced on 12 July. These candidates will be offered support in the development of their final proposal, with a total of 5 – 7 enterprises being chosen on 10 October to receive seed funding. "Impactful social programmes have been, and will continue to be, one of the main pillars of our strategy for the Egyptian market," said Jose Maria Magrina, ACC CEO. "Today, I'm honoured to launch this programme for Suez, the governorate where our business is based. At ACC, we're keen to give back to the community where we operate, and we can't think of a better way to do so than by supporting the youth of Suez to realise their dreams and establish successful enterprises. This programme is a unique one, in terms of concept and implementation. As such, I believe that we've been able to take our contribution to supporting the society to the next level."
