The Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSMEDA) signed a cooperation protocol with Jumia Egypt in the field of e-commerce to help enterprise owners market their products through Jumia's electronic platform. This comes within the framework of the agency's keenness to support project owners and help them market their products using modern technological methods as well as enable them to grow and expand, increase their competitiveness, and open new markets that help them increase their sales. Tarek Shash, the Executive Vice President of the MSMEDA, said that the agency is keen to open new marketing windows for project owners in accordance with the directives of Minister of Trade and Industry Nevine Gamea — the CEO of the agency. He pointed out that e-commerce customers and e-marketing applications have doubled, especially after the pandemic, which makes the integration of small business owners in the field of e-marketing a necessity for enhancing the sector's growth rates. Raafat Abbas, the head of the Central Sector for Non-Financial Services in the Agency, stressed the importance of cooperation with these technology companies and praised their efforts in supporting the small enterprise sector. He explained that the participation of enterprise owners in these electronic stores is in accordance with a number of criteria, the most important of which is the quality of the product and the project's ability to fulfil its obligations on time. Abbas added that the agency will support project owners wishing to display their products through these electronic platforms and provide them with training to help them develop their products in accordance with the applicable requirements locally and globally, which will increase their marketing ability. He also pointed out that the agency has coordinated with Jumia to offer a low commission to owners of small businesses wishing to participate. The company will also provide a system to help participants keep an eye on sales. For his part, Hisham Safwat, the CEO of Jumia Egypt, said that the company has been keeping in mind, since the day it entered the Egyptian market, small and micro enterprises. He explained that Jumia believes that the economies of countries depend mainly on small and medium enterprises, and therefore it was one of the first companies to launch an initiative to encourage local products under the slogan 'Made in Egypt.' Jumia offers its partners — owners of small and medium enterprises — a great opportunity to display their products on its platform, whether in the Black Friday season or through the year-round sale. The company also launched the 'Support Them and Buy Their Products Initiative', which comes as a continuation of the efforts made by Jumia over the past years to support homemade products and encourage customers to buy them. It also launched the 'Ibdaa Min Masr Store', which aims to promote and market Egyptian handicrafts.
