Souq.com, an online retail market place in the Middle East, announced the launch of the "I am Egypt" initiative on Saturday. The initiative follows the launch of the government-sponsored slogan "Proudly Made in Egypt", which aims to promote local products. Souq.com's initiative aims to utilise the company's countrywide outreach and distribution capabilities to provide exposure to products that are manufactured or produced in Egypt. Omar Elsahy, general manager of Souq.com Egypt, said that the purpose of Souq.com is to channel the power of technology to connect more people to more products and to unlock possibilities of improving the quality of life across the region. "We feel that this is a time for everyone to take a step back and look hard at how to contribute with long-term solutions towards reconstructing our country's economy," he added. Moreover, he said that this effort is not to drive short-term discount campaigns, but rather a long-term initiative in an effort to provide exposure and distribution abilities for Egyptian sellers and highlight the market's ability to produce, manufacture, and assemble. "We must work on bettering ourselves and work together as one value chain," he stressed. During the course of the next few months, a series of meetings and workshops will be conducted to better understand the barriers in the market and how Souq.com and many of it's strategic partners can help offer more support to the local producing community to make a real impact. The aim of the initiative is to create a demand for reliable good quality products, build sustainable entrepreneurship opportunities, create jobs, and eventually contribute to re-boosting the country's economy. Elsahy pointed out that Egypt is currently on the list of the top 20 countries in terms of retail consumption, while ranking closer to 110 in terms of retail production, adding that the country should embark on making a difference and a positive impact. The programme is expected to provide mass public awareness and become one of the first steps of the private sector to contribute sustainable solutions to Egypt's economy.
