On September 12, 2024,   Enroot Development held an event titled “Empowering the South: Lessons Learned and the Way Forward” with participation from the Ministry of Local Development, representatives from the governorates of Aswan and Qena, and presidents of public universities in Upper Egypt.

The event focused on celebrating the achievements and lessons learned from the MASAAR  project. which has been implemented in collaboration with the universities of Assiut, South Valley, and Aswan, and funded by the Drosos Foundation since 2020. It aims to support and enhance youth-led innovation for the economy in the governorates of Upper Egypt.

Dr. Hany Al-Salamony, the CEO of Enroot Development, announced that the project has focused on implementing a cluster development approach which aims to enhance entrepreneurship among youth and women through incubation programs and capacity-building training for civil society organizations. The project also seeks to establish connections between productive clusters in Upper Egypt and local and international markets while supporting startups in the governorates, Dr. El-Salamony noted that the event aims to showcase success stories from the MASAAR project and highlight the outstanding innovation of young entrepreneurs from Upper Egypt through MASAAR BAZAAR, a startup showcase for the graduates of the MASAAR incubators present on public university campuses across the governorates of Upper Egypt.

The event also included three-panel discussions covering a variety of topics, including policymaking for sustainable economic development, science and technology, innovation, and the social and economic empowerment of local communities. In addition, it focused on strategies for enhancing economic empowerment through engaging the private sector and investors in Upper Egypt.

The conference also witnessed the launch of the project which is funded by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Egypt, The project aims to tackle the urgent challenges of climate change facing the agricultural sector in the region with objectives including enhancing resilience to climate change and promoting climate-smart agricultural practices. It also focuses on increasing private sector participation and developing market systems within the agricultural sector in Upper Egypt. By leveraging the expertise and resources of companies, as well as civil society organizations, the project aims to foster sustainability in agricultural value chains.

With funding from the Drosos Foundation, the MASAAR  project successfully worked on five productive clusters and developed 278 products. It engaged 1,468 young men and women and graduated 55 startups. It created 209 direct job opportunities and 120 indirect ones, opened new markets, and fostered the development of productive clusters through incubation programs.

May Abo Al Saoud, Programme Manager of the Drosos Foundation in Egypt, emphasized the organization’s commitment to creating a long-term impact by unleashing the potential of youth and providing equal opportunities for economic empowerment. This mission is pursued through various projects supported by Drosos across Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Switzerland, and Germany. Since its inception in 2005, Drosos has funded over 130 projects in Egypt alone.

Ms. Abo Al Saoud highlighted that the partnership with Enroot is ongoing and that both institutions will continue to work together to empower youth and foster economic growth in the region.

Dr. Hany El-Salamony outlined Enroot’s Mission to Enhance Sustainable Development in Egypt:

”Our efforts, which began in 2018, focus on promoting collaboration among the government, private sector, and development organizations. The goal of this collaboration is to mobilize resources and support sustainable development programs that align with Egypt’s Vision 2030.

Facilitating the connection between scientific research conducted at universities in Upper Egypt and the business and industrial community, Enroot also works to improve the legislative environment and provides support to legislative bodies. It plays a crucial role in supporting knowledge-based industries, particularly creative industries, which significantly contribute to the GDP and job creation. Creative industries are important drivers of economic growth and play a key role in enhancing Egypt’s cultural footprint at both regional and global levels. Enroot actively promotes innovation and creativity to drive economic and social development. The integration of value chain links in productive clusters is essential, ensuring synergy among projects on the ground. By leveraging past experiences and lessons learned from previous initiatives, Enroot aims to measure their developmental impact effectively.