The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Social Fund for Development (SFD) organised a "Supporting Women in Business" forum addressing the challenges facing Egypt's women entrepreneurs. In a statement Thursday, the EBRD said that during the event, gender and small business experts discussed the challenges and opportunities facing women-led SMEs. It concluded that creating a more favourable social and economic environment is very important for the development of women entrepreneurs in Egypt. Launched in 2013, the programme is designed to promote women's entrepreneurship by helping women-led SMEs to access know-how through advisory services for their businesses, and training, mentoring and networking opportunities. "Women entrepreneurs are a source of great untapped potential in Egypt. Supporting women entrepreneurs is a key part of the EBRD's mission and over the years the Bank has developed targeted programmes to help women-led SMEs grow," said Charlotte Ruhe, EBRD Director. The programme is currently being implemented in the Greater Cairo, Western Region, Assiut, and Sohag governorates to promote small businesses so they evolve into larger enterprises, according to Soha Soliman, SFD Managing Director.
