Within the framework of the green entrepreneurship support component of the SwitchMed programme in Egypt, led by MedWaves in coordination with the Center for Environment & Development for The Arab Region & Europe (CEDARE), the kick-off of two main activities took place on October.

On 9 October 2022, the first training workshop for entrepreneurs selected in the call for applications started at CEDARE’s premises in Cairo. This training will last one and a half months and aims to train 25 entrepreneurs in Green Business Model Development following MedWaves methodology. At the end of this training, the two best projects will be selected to benefit from an 8-month incubation period including access to various technical support and access to finance.

It should be noted that 6 additional workshops will be organised in the months to come with Business Support Organisations (BSOs) partners of the SwitchMed Egypt programme. Thus, nearly 150 entrepreneurs will be trained in Green Business Model Development in Egypt, including 25 in the Blue Economy sectors. The call for applications for entrepreneurs wishing to benefit from this training is still available on this website: https://www.theswitchers.org/call-for-applications and will be closed on October 27^th 2022.

In parallel to the launch of the first workshop, the National Initiative for Sustainable Entrepreneurs (NISE) https://www.nise.info/ was launched on 11 October, with the objective of supporting entrepreneurship as a means in achieving sustainable development. Coordinated by CEDARE, the NISE is integrated by different types of actors, including a majority of BSOs but also financial institutions and universities. The common objective of NISE members is to mobilise resources to improve access to services for eco-entrepreneurs in the country.

The NISE launch event was attended by more than 40 participants from BSO, the financial sector, academia, the private sector and the Egyptian government. Of particular note was the presence and support of Mrs. Sylvie Fontaine, Environment and Climate Program Officer of the Delegation of the European Union to Egypt,  Dr. Heba Sharawy, Head of Loans & Grants Follow up Unit, MAP Coordinator and Focal Point, Egyptian Ministry of Environment, and various high level representatives of the Egyptian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSMEDA) and the Commercial International Bank (CIB).