The Prime Minister follows up the efforts of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency in the border governorates
I met with Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister, this evening, Basil Rahmi, CEO of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency, to follow up on the executive position of the agency’s efforts in the border governorates.
At the beginning of the meeting, he reviewed Basil Rahmi presented a report on the size of the agency’s contributions to the border governorates, in addition to its achievements in the field of production clusters and handicrafts, explaining that Egypt contains about 145 natural clusters (productive and clusters), approximately 63% of which constitute handicrafts of a heritage nature. Pointing out that there are 25 natural production clusters within the border governorates, distributed as follows: 7 clusters in Marsa Matrouh, 6 in Aswan Governorate, as well as 2 in South Sinai, in addition to 4 in North Sinai, 3 in the Red Sea, in addition to 3 production clusters in the New Valley Governorate.
As the CEO of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency indicated The project aims to raise the capacity of production groups in the border governorates, in cooperation with the Spanish project of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation, through implementing programs aimed at developing the technical skills of production groups, with a special focus on supporting women’s groups in the fields of handicrafts such as needlework and hand embroidery in the governorates of Matruh, North and South Sinai. Efforts also include promoting crafts related to the exploitation of palm waste in the Aswan and New Valley governorates. In addition, work is being done to build the capacities of associations and bodies supporting these craft gatherings to ensure the sustainability of these activities and enhance their impact at the societal level.
He drew Basil Rahmi praised the agency’s efforts in handicrafts in the border governorates, where 2,259 projects were funded with a value of approximately 86.4 million pounds, during the period from July 2014 to August 2025. The National Strategy for Handicrafts and Heritage was also launched on the sidelines of the Our Heritage Exhibition, with the aim of developing 15 natural craft clusters in various governorates, which contributes to improving the work of these clusters and increasing their production efficiency, in addition to establishing Our Heritage Exhibition for 2025, which witnessed the participation of 60 exhibitors, including 58% of women from the border governorates, and the volume of sales/contracts amounted to about 36 million pounds. EGP.
At the international level, five exhibitors participated in 3 exhibitions, and the volume of sales and contracts reached about 1.6 million pounds, in countries including Bahrain, China and the United Kingdom. Preparations are currently being made to participate in two other exhibitions that will be held in Senegal and Algeria.
He added: The agency’s vision and strategy regarding production clusters and handicrafts include activating the National Strategy Management Committee for Handicrafts, and the committee will immediately begin following up on work plans during the founding year 2025-2026. During the meeting, Basil Rahmi pointed to the achievements achieved by the agency in the field of one-stop shops in the border governorates during the period from July 2014 to August 2025. He explained that the number of temporary licenses granted to new projects reached about 14 thousand licenses, while the final licenses for these projects reached about 12 thousand licenses. As for the temporary licenses allocated to reconcile the situation, they amounted to about 1,361 licenses.
He added that a cooperation protocol was signed in October of last year with the aim of facilitating the procedures for licensing projects, by implementing an electronic link system between the centers for issuing public store licenses affiliated with the Ministry of Local Development and the one-stop-shop units within the agency. Through this system, applications for licenses are exchanged and decided upon within a period not exceeding ten days.
With regard to the operation of the electronic link system in the border governorates, it was stated that from July 14, 2025 until the end of the following three months, 247 applications to obtain project licenses were received through the electronic system. These applications were distributed among the governorates as follows: Matrouh (51 applications), North Sinai (8 applications), Aswan (30 applications), New Valley (49 applications), Red Sea (109 applications).
With regard to launching financing and training initiatives aimed at empowering women and youth, the head of the agency explained that during the period from July 2014 to August By 2025, the total financing directed to small and micro-enterprises in the border governorates reached about 4.9 billion pounds, which contributed to supporting 128,290 small and micro-enterprises, and created about 228,597 job opportunities. In addition, the total funding directed to the activities of community and human development projects in these governorates reached 232.6 million pounds, generating about 2.6 million working days.
In the same context, the head of the agency indicated that in the period from January to August 2025, the total funding directed to small and micro projects in the border governorates amounted to about 258 million pounds to support 1,961 small and micro projects, which contributed to creating more than 7,000 job opportunities.
The Enterprise Development Authority also prepared a comprehensive and exclusive study of investment opportunities in the border governorates, based on the investment map prepared by the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones, in cooperation with the relevant authorities. Work is now underway to design financing products that are compatible with the needs of these governorates.
He added: A number of memorandums of understanding have been signed with universities in the border governorates with the aim of supporting and promoting the culture of entrepreneurship and the idea of self-employment. These agreements included cooperation with Al-Arish University to organize 6 seminars and 21 training programs, and King Solomon University, in addition to a training contract to prepare 23 trainers benefited from it in cooperation with Matrouh University, in addition to preparing a scientific material for students about entrepreneurship. Cooperation with New Valley University also witnessed the implementation of 12 seminars and 11 training programs. These initiatives have effectively contributed to increasing the entrepreneurship activities implemented by the agency during the last two years.
Basil Rahmi stressed the expansion of the scope of business development services to enable those wishing to establish projects in the border governorates, and these services include raising awareness of the financial and non-financial activities provided by the agency, providing specialized consultations in the field of marketing, in addition to disseminating knowledge related to the project development law. No. 152 of the year, and the facilities and supportive incentives it contains.
During the meeting, the head of the agency stressed the importance of coordination with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Universities to spread the culture of self-employment and enhance financial awareness among the target groups, pointing to the necessity of cooperation with development partners to intensify promotional efforts for the culture of self-employment and implement training programs that support entrepreneurship in various sectors. Project stages, in cooperation with universities, youth centers and relevant authorities. In addition, he pointed out the importance of coordination with the Ministry of Local Development to activate financing initiatives aimed at empowering women in the border areas.
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