Enroot Development, in partnership with the Dutch Embassy in Cairo and under the auspices of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, held the closing event for the second phase of MASAAR Program, in the presence of H.E. the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Egypt, Peter Mollema.
The “Fostering Innovation for Sustainable Development” event celebrated five years of MASAAR, a mindset shift-based entrepreneurship program funded by the Dutch Embassy in Cairo and implemented in collaboration with four public universities.
It empowers women and youth in Upper Egypt to untap the region’s potential and drive forth its sustainable economic development.
The program included the provision of ideation trainings, entrepreneurship boot camps, and incubation cycles as well as the creation of business development service units inside the universities of five Upper Egyptian governorates (Assiut, Sohag, Qena, and Luxor), along with mentorship and capacity building trainings. It benefited over 7,500 Upper Egyptians and created over 100 jobs, providing seed funds, and supporting startups to legally register.
Attendees of the event included various influential stakeholders of the development sector, including members of embassies, national institutions, international cooperation and United Nations organizations, and private sector and investment entities. Opening speeches were given by Dr. Hany El-Salamony, the Chief Executive Officer of Enroot, followed by H.E. the Dutch Ambassador.
This was followed by a presentation on the achievements of MASAAR in Upper Egypt over the past five years as well as presentations from two startup founders who graduated from MASAAR as well as an award ceremony honoring the efforts of the universities. The event concluded with a panel discussion titled “Entrepreneurship in Upper Egypt: Paving the Way Forward” between the presidents of the governorate universities, Prf. Dr. Ahmed Akkawy, President of South Valley University, Prof. Dr. Ahraf Okasha, Head of MASAAR incubators in Upper Egypt, Prof. Dr. Sabreen Gaber, Dean of the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality of Luxor University, and Dr. Hanna Grace, the Chairman of Enroot Development.
In his opening remarks, Dr El-Salamony expressed his pride in the success of MASAAR, which falls in line with the ‘Egypt Vision 2030’ sustainable development strategy and complements government interventions implemented in the region by the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSMEDA), banks, and other funding institutions. He also highlighted that the collaboration between Enroot and the universities in Upper Egypt contributed to the provision of non-financial services to the startups and connected them to the markets and services supported by the Egyptian government. He also emphasized that MASAAR will continue to work to develop Upper Egypt and support women and youth through various means.
H.E. the Dutch Ambassador praised the longstanding partnership with Enroot, emphasizing the Netherlands’ keenness to cooperate for the promotion of sustainable development in Egypt, particularly the southern region. He also expressed his pride in supporting Egyptian entrepreneurs through this program, especially that the majority of these entrepreneurs are women.
