The Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation (MIIC) is preparing a package of regulative reforms to promote women’s economic empowerment, Minister Sahar Nasr said over her participation in the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday.
About 2,000 investors attended the event, along with 300 representatives of decision makers and business community leaders from 30 countries, a statement of the MIIC mentioned.
“Women are the backbone of the development particularly in the developing countries. 50% of the African population are women while 49% of Egypt’s population are also women,” Nasr added, noting that Egyptian women participation in the private sector’s business is remarkably increasing.
Women represent 80% of the beneficiaries of small and medium enterprises’ funds in Egypt, Nasr assured, noting that women entrepreneurs’ share of the new startup projects are at 20% over the past 4 years.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi set women empowerment as a priority and names 2017 as the year of women, she said, adding, “the Investment Law asserted the equal opportunities for men and women. We also allocated a section for women at the Investors Service Center.”
