A high-level delegation from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) visited the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA), with the aim of discussing ways of cooperation in the upcoming stage, and expanding financial and non-financial services to the small enterprise sector in Egypt.

Khalida Bouzar, the assistant secretary-general of UNDP and director of the regional bureau for Arab states, stressed the importance of cooperation between the agency and the Program, especially in light of the increasing role played by MSMEs at the regional level in providing job opportunities and improving levels of employment. It aims to target groups to help them overcome the repercussions of the Corona crisis, which stressed the importance of the role played by this sector in achieving sustainable economic development.

Bouzar praised the continuous cooperation between the Agency and the UNDP to support the small enterprise sector, especially with the economic growth witnessed by the Egyptian state, and the government providing various facilities necessary for the advancement of this sector. The program is keen to provide various aspects of technical and institutional support to increase the ability of the Agency to meet the needs of the owners of these projects efficiently and effectively.

For his part, Tarek Shash, Executive Deputy Director of the Agency, said that the Agency has a close relationship with the UNDP, as it is one of the first bodies to provide support to the Agency and help achieve its development goals.

He added that the agency has a strategic partnership with the program in the field of financing, technical and institutional support, and a variety of areas of social and economic development, including promoting entrepreneurship, encouraging MSMEs, and empowering women and youth.

Shash pointed out that the cooperation with the Program is a continuation of the existing cooperation between the agency and a large number of international donors. This reflects the confidence of these bodies in the capabilities of the Egyptian institutions and its various agencies, in light of the stability and economic growth that the Egyptian state has achieved in recent years.

Sylvain Merlin, Deputy Resident Representative of the UNDP, said that the cooperation between the Program and MSMEDA is one of the most prominent successful experiences in the field of supporting the small enterprises sector.

Merlin stressed that the UNDP looks forward to continuing cooperation with the agency to increase support for small enterprises, which would contribute to providing jobs, increasing and developing production, and opening export outlets.

Abeer Shakweer, Assistant Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program and Director of the Inclusive Growth and Innovation Team, said that there is permanent cooperation between the agency and the program in various development trends to achieve sustainable development in Egypt. She pointed out that the current stage is witnessing more support for the MSMEs sector. Cooperation between the agency and the program is taking place in many technical and marketing aspects that work to stabilize these enterprises and their continuity.

Shakweer stressed that the UNDP is cooperating with the agency to develop humans and develop easy mechanisms to deal with the masses of people. This meets the needs of this ambitious sector, especially after activating various incentives of the Enterprise Development Law No. 152 of 2020, and providing one-stop services to expedite the incorporation procedures and issuance of temporary licenses.

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