H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation and Chair of the Ministerial Group for Entrepreneurship, met with a number of members of the Group’s working groups from the entrepreneurship community to discuss the Group’s outcomes, preparations for launching the Egypt Startup Charter, and the facilitation measures and initiatives aimed at supporting entrepreneurship. The meeting also discussed various proposals for establishing a unified entity for entrepreneurship in Egypt.
The meeting was attended by Sameh El-Sadat, Member of the Senate, Amira Saber, Member of the Senate, Mr. Ahmed El-Alfi, Founder of Sawari Ventures; Mr. Mohamed Nagaty, Founder of Exits MENA; Mr. Abdel Hamid Sharara, Founder of RiseUp; Mr. Amir Sherif, Co-Founder and CEO of BasharSoft; Mr. Mohamed Ezzat, Founder of Bosta; Dr. Ayman Ismail, Founder of AUC Venture Lab and Chairman of Egypt Ventures; Dr. Wael El-Desouky, Secretary-General of the Saleh Kamel Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development Foundation (SKSEED); Mr. Mohamed Ehab, CEO of Entra for Entrepreneurship Support; Mr. Samir Yehia, Founder and Chairman of Investa Capital Group for Financial Investments; Mr. Haitham Ahmed, Board Member of M Strategy Global; and Mr. Gamal Abou Ali, Partner and Board Member at Hassouna&Abou Ali Law Firm.
H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat noted that the “Startup Charter” represents the first collaboration of its kind between the government and the entrepreneurship community. It includes policy and structural measures, some of which have already begun to be implemented by the relevant authorities, to stimulate the sector, remove obstacles to the growth of startups, and set out a clear vision for the sector’s future. She explained that the Charter serves as an executive roadmap comprising more than 80 measures to enhance trust between the government and startups, coordinate efforts, and provide policy clarity for investors. She also referred to the unified government guide to services and licenses, aimed at bridging the information gap and facilitating startups’ access to more than 170 services and licenses from 35 government entities, in addition to the launch of the Ministerial Group’s website as a unified platform for engagement with the entrepreneurship community.
H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat stressed that the measures and facilitation efforts being launched for the sector are not the responsibility of a single entity, but rather the result of an integrated effort by all relevant stakeholders within the government as well as the startup community. This reflects a strong commitment to coordination in developing policies that meet the sector’s needs and enhance its ability to scale. She added that these policies fall within a broader package of measures being implemented by the state as part of the National Structural Reforms Program (NSRP).
The Minister expressed her profound appreciation for the efforts made by the members of the various working groups, commending their serious work and fruitful cooperation, which contributed to preparing the Charter in a form that reflects the aspirations and needs of the startup sector. She emphasized that this collective effort represents a successful model of integration among stakeholders and constitutes an important step toward strengthening the entrepreneurship ecosystem and supporting its sustainable growth, underscoring the continuation of joint work in the coming phase to achieve the aimed objectives.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation – Egypt.
