Ehab Abdel Hamid — the Director of the Medium, Small, and Micro Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA) in Assiut — said that the agency has financed 4,722 small and micro projects worth EGP 145m in villages covered by the Decent Life Presidential Initiative in the governorate from 2021 to February 2022.
He added that the agency also provides training courses to educate citizens about the idea of self-employment and familiarise them with the various services provided by the agency in addition to the new advantages and facilities provided by the Enterprise Development Law No. 152 of 2020 to encourage them to start new projects or expand their existing ones, as well as shift from the informal sector to the formal sector.
The MSMEDA — in cooperation with the Catholic Foundation for Comprehensive Development in Assiut — gave over 450 women certificates for completing training courses on handicrafts, such as sewing, embroidery, and clothing and furniture manufacturing in the villages of Dayrut, Manfalut, Sedfa, and Al-Fath.
Governor of Assiut Essam Saad and Abdel Hamid also presented certificates to the trainees for passing the training programme as well as sewing machines to help them start their small businesses immediately after training.
An exhibition was also organised on the side-lines of the celebration of the end of the training programme that included the products of dozens of women who have already started their projects with the support of the MSMEDA. The exhibition included furniture, clothing, jewellery, and leather products.
Furthermore, Saad stressed the continuous cooperation with MSMEDA to provide integrated financial and non-financial services. This contributes to providing better job opportunities for citizens in the governorate, especially in the targeted villages within the presidential initiative.
He also pointed out the importance of implementing these training programmes on a continuous basis to help women develop their skills and start small projects that contribute to improving their families’ economic situations.
