The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) will launch the second stage of its online platform for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in March 2018, according to SMEDA CEO Niveen Gamea. The authority launched the first phase of the platform in August 2017, which provided a database of financing, training, employment, entrepreneurship, technical support, single-window system, and marketing services. The platform also included a set of ideas and models of small projects and feasibility studies for many industrial and agricultural projects, and educational material on how to plan and study a small project. The platform provided all information, services, and programmes offered by government agencies, NGOs, business associations, and private sector to entrepreneurs and owners of small projects and startups. This platform helps to promote these services among young people and entrepreneurs, and supports the development of this vital sector to provide more job opportunities. According to Gamea, it is planned to connect the platform, after adding the second stage, with the industrial investment map. The SMEDA will also launch a "Smart Adviser" service to guide platform users to the suitable service or required information. She added that the platform will offer electronic applications to prepare feasibility studies of several projects in accordance with certified financial indicators, as well as an electronic toolkit to calculate the value of loans, installments, and interests. The cabinet recommended the state approval of this platform to be a gateway for information and services that support SMEs, according to Gamea. She added that all ministries, government bodies, and institutions concerned with SMEs have coordinated with the platform and provided it with all information and data to ensure its sustainability and efficiency. The SMEDA has recently held a workshop to introduce this platform, which was attended by a large number of development partners and those interested in the SMEs sector. During the workshop, Gamea stressed the importance of using information technology to promote the SMEs sector in Egypt and providing all necessary information via the internet to those interested in establishing or developing such projects.
