The International Council for Small Business (ICSB), announced last week the appointment of Dr. Ahmed Shalaby, the Managing Director of Tatweer Misr, as Vice President and non-voting board member in the Council. In that capacity, Tatweer Misr MD will be working closely to establish several international universities in Egypt, in cooperation with the Council. The International Council for Small Business (ICSB) was founded in 1955, as a non-profit organization devoted to continuing management education for entrepreneurs, on the belief that enlightened small business management is necessary for successful and profitable small business; which is essential to our national economies. To serve that purpose, the council develops practices for potential entrepreneurs and existing small business owner/managers through education, research, and free exchange of ideas. It also stands as a global platform for exchanging ideas and experience on management assistance for small business. The establishment of modern international universities falls within Egypt's comprehensive development strategy. In line with that goal, Tatweer Misr has taken the initiative in bringing in a number of top notch universities, to Egypt with diverse faculties with the main aim of providing technical learning that goes hand in hand with innovation and entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is the backbone of small and medium sized businesses and they represent the hope of a better Egypt. "I am honored to be nominated to the board of ICSB responsible for the University initiative which, I believe, embodies a significant and fruitful partnership between Tatweer Misr and the council." said Dr. Ahmed Shalaby, the MD of Tatweer Misr. "To us human development and the development of sustainable urban planning designs are part of the same vision. The critical factor towards achieving comprehensive human development is the introduction of state-of-the-art higher education, as an enabler for students to establish their own projects. To serve this end, the new universities aims to arm youth with knowledge and skills to achieve their goals. Our dream of higher education is an integral part of our vision towards sustainable and comprehensive development in the local market. This vision comprises value creation through the development of sustainable urban planning designs, based on environmentally friendly building solutions and services, representing the same view we have towards human development, which constitutes the basis of Egypt's development and the whole world alike". In line with this objective, Tatweer Misr is currently negotiating with a number of international universities, whose main ethos is focused on Entrepreneurship and SME development; to create partnerships to establishing those institutions in Egypt. As part of its services, the new Universities will be the first in Egypt to provide first-class education focusing on innovation, entrepreneurship education and SME. "The good news is that Egypt's young population gives it a strong entrepreneurial advantage. In addition, Egypt has one of the lowest business discontinuation rates compared to other factor-driven economies with a rate of 5.28% in 2012. Nearly a third of Egyptian youth started their own business due to the lack of wage work, indicating that high unemployment and difficult labor market conditions do push some youth into entrepreneurship. However, many efforts must be done to promote a culture of entrepreneurship, and that is what Tatweer Misr is trying to do through its partnership with ICSB, and through participating in its activities and global conferences. We hope our efforts will pay off before the inauguration of the new universities" added Shalaby.
