ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUMMIT, EMBASSY CAIRO OUTREACH

UNCLAS CAIRO 002400 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPARTMENT FOR S/P (BEHRMAN),S/SRMC (CHANDLER),R (NOOR-ALI) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EAID PREL PGOV SOCI EG SUBJECT: ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUMMIT, EMBASSY CAIRO OUTREACH REF: STATE 112468 ¶1. (SBU) Per reftel, Embassy Cairo's interagency entrepreneurship team has organized a series of activities to engage local partners in entrepreneurship and build momentum for the White House Summit next year. -------------- Roundtables and Outreach -------------- ¶2. (SBU) FCS organized a meeting between the Ambassador and twenty-five members of the Egyptian Junior Business Association (EJB),a group of young and dynamic business leaders, to discuss ways to improve small and medium entrepreneur development and training. EJB has launched nationwide business plan competitions to target existing and potential entrepreneurs, designed entrepreneur training manuals for university students, and created a small business entrepreneur council to coordinate entrepreneur activities with like-minded stakeholders. The Ambassador is scheduled to host similar roundtables in January and February with business groups in Alexandria and the technology industry in Cairo. ¶3. (SBU) In November the Ambassador reached out to a broad swath of the Egyptian business community when she raised entrepreneurship in her address to the combined Rotaries of Egypt. Similarly, in December she reached out beyond the borders of Cairo to raise awareness of entrepreneurship in the city of Tanta where she discussed it with the Governor and the President of Tanta University. Entrepreneurship has been a key theme of the Ambassador's public appearances since July. ¶4. (SBU) Other members of the Embassy staff have, at the Ambassador's direction, met with nine local NGOs working to encourage and nurture entrepreneurship in Egypt. Mission personnel have discussed USG interest in entrepreneurship and laid the groundwork for future partnerships with: Hands along the Nile; The Sawiris Foundation; The Education for Employment Foundation; Ashoka Arab World; Misr El Kheir; Horizon Interactive Studios; Enterprise Egypt; Nahdet Mahrousa; and The Middle East Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. The Embassy's Public Affairs section (PA) has provided sample training materials to Nahdet Mahrousa and the Egyptian Junior Business Association for use in their entrepreneurship development programs. -------------- Entrepreneurial Ideas Contest -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The Embassy's Public Affairs section is planning a competition for potential entrepreneurs aimed at encouraging public exposure to the concept of entrepreneurship. Participants would submit business plans for start-up enterprises. The winners would travel to the U.S. and meet with companies that have similar experience in beginning small enterprises. -------------- Digital Video Conferences (DVC) -------------- ¶6. (SBU) PA and FCS have organized a series of DVCs for January highlighting entrepreneurship and franchising activities. The entrepreneur program would target government, business, and youth leaders an opportunity to discuss how to create business plans to attract investors. The franchising program would focus on the legal and regulatory framework surrounding franchising opportunities with American businesses. -------------- Entrepreneur-In-Residence and Resource Center -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Embassy is exploring the possibility of hosting an entrepreneur to work with universities and organizations to develop entrepreneur incubator programs. Possible candidates for the position include university business school professors or corporate executives with experience in Egypt and the region. In addition, the interagency team seeks to develop a virtual entrepreneur resource center that would provide information on training programs, feature "success stories," and offer links to other development and assistance sites. -------------- -------------- Middle East and North Africa Intl. Franchise Exhibition -------------- -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The Embassy's Foreign Commercial Service is partnering with the Egyptian Franchise Development Association on the franchise exhibition scheduled for May 2010. This event will offer a range of franchising and licensing opportunities for interested Egyptian parties across the country. SCOBEY