The goal of The project also developed an integrated gender strategy and gender-sensitive guidelines to ensure that women emerge as both active business owners and workers
the Small Enterprise Development in Upper Egypt (SMEDUP) Project was to improve the economic conditions for marginalized population groups in three governorates in Upper Egypt through small enterprise development. The project was co-funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Government of Egypt’s Social Fund for Development. CIDA’s contribution, managed by the FIT, supported the institutional development, training, technical assistance and management costs of the project. The Social Fund for Development provided credit lines dedicated to small enterprises through the National Bank of Egypt.
Two core At its completion, the project succeeded in establishing over 1,400 new businesses that employ more than 5,500 employees in a variety of sectors
features of the project were the support to business start-ups and the creation of new institutions able to provide business advisory services on a long-term market basis. Furthermore, the project’s mandate was to develop a more mature industrial economy within the governorates in which it operated. Thus, the challenge was not only to promote and assist the start-up of new businesses within the governorates, but also to support new business types that were previously absent within the regions. The project recognized that this required a comprehensive approach that included both credit and business development services.
The project has succeeded in creating more than 5,500 jobs in a variety of sectors. Some of the key types of businesses included metal, construction materials, woodworking workshops, food-processing and plastics. Some of the businesses created that are new to their regions are internet service providers, computer training centers, computer maintenance centers, as well as larger scale cosmetics and laundry factories. Thirty percent of all businesses created are in the manufacturing sector; 45% of enterprises established are owned by female entrepreneurs; and a third of all jobs created are held by female workers. In addition, the project has been able to channel upwards of US$10 million in bank loans to SMEs.
The overarching and most enduring achievement of this project has been the creation and sustainability of the Egyptian institutions that have emerged as pioneers in their governorates by providing high quality training and technical assistance for business start-ups. These have attracted the attention of a variety of donors and governmental agencies such as USAID, the European Union, the German GTZ, and the UNDP. This network of institutions continues to create income and employment opportunities throughout Egypt, supporting the Government of Egypt’s 2017 National Vision, which relies on the small enterprise sector to generate two-thirds of the jobs opportunities needed to keep unemployment in check and develop a more vibrant private sector.