Engazaat has won the Disruptive Duo for Market Innovation Award at the Egypt Entrepreneur Awards (EEA) 2025, recognising its cross-sector partnership with Nestlé to build a reliable, low-carbon, locally rooted sourcing ecosystem. The award highlights a collaboration that began in 2024, when Nestlé sought an Egyptian partner capable of supplying sustainably produced agricultural inputs for its brands while improving water and energy efficiency across its operations and farmer network. Engazaat introduced an integrated model that removes capital barriers, provides clean infrastructure as a service, and embeds farmer training directly into the supply chain. The result is a sourcing system built on local production rather than imported inputs. Supported by Nestlé as part of its global Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and regenerative agriculture commitments, Engazaat developed and deployed a tailored programme that has already trained more than 650 farmers and agricultural professionals. The initiative aims to reach over 5,000 farmers within the next five years. Muhammad El Demerdash, Co-Founder and CEO of Engazaat, said: "Through our partnership with Nestlé, Engazaat is deploying 5 MW of solar infrastructure, managing and treating water at up to 95% efficiency, and extending regenerative agriculture support to Nestlé's farmer network across Cairo, Alexandria, the Delta, and Upper Egypt. These results show what happens when infrastructure is designed around real constraints — affordability, reliability, and the needs of the people who keep supply chains running. EEA's recognition is a culmination of our dedication to building systems that make clean energy, water efficiency, and regenerative agriculture accessible to farmers and industries alike. As we grow across the region and globally, our focus remains on building infrastructure that supports livelihoods and anchors sourcing in reliable, local production." The Nestlé partnership forms part of Engazaat's broader mission as one of Egypt's most integrated clean-infrastructure companies. Its vision is to democratise access to sustainable resources by removing upfront capital and technical hurdles. The company designs, finances, builds, owns, and operates solar and water assets, while Engazaat Agro provides agronomic support and capacity-building programmes across its ecosystem. Its subscription-based Pay-As-You-Go and Buy-Now-Pay-Later models eliminate upfront investment requirements for both companies and farmers, enabling them to adopt modern systems with no initial capital burden. This transition allows solar energy to replace diesel, reduces water waste through smart irrigation, boosts productivity, and lowers operating costs. Today, Engazaat manages more than 15 million cubic metres of water annually, operates 63 MW of developed solar capacity, and has delivered more than $70m in Water-Energy-Food projects. Its portfolio includes large-scale initiatives such as Egypt's largest off-grid desert reclamation project, major solar-powered desalination systems for open-field irrigation, and one of the region's largest industrial rooftop solar installations. The Ministry of Planning previously highlighted Engazaat's contributions during COP27, elevating national visibility for its model and accelerating demand across Egypt. Following its sustained growth domestically, Engazaat is now expanding into the Middle East and Africa, including establishing operations in Lebanon and the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM).
