The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has issued a tender to develop "Mashroaak" national project call centres belonging to the Ministry of Local Development. The communications ministry scheduled 22 October to begin reviewing proposals, with 8 November being the deadline. The "Mashoraak" national project aims to develop communities in various provinces and villages by providing employment opportunities through small and micro enterprises, in cooperation with local banks and civil society organisations. The tender seeks to outsource companies to develop the call centres for the project. The call centres will allow citizens to access state services through multiple channels of communication, and will increase communication and participation by identifying services based on the user's location. The centres will also provide reports and statistics for analysis to assist in governmental decision-making. The project was initiated several months ago to promote the principle of citizenship and reduce migration from villages to cities by providing job opportunities for youth and assisting them in the set up of small businesses. Participating banks include the National Bank of Egypt, and the Principal Bank for Development & Agricultural Credit to provide the funding required by young entrepreneurs.
