G20 Flagship projects

Description of the project:

Egypt’s limited economic growth and high rates of unemployment are eroding its social fabric and undermining the potential for economic development. The protracted job crisis affects women and youth disproportionately, threatening both current and future generations, especially in Upper Egypt. Yet, a growing digital economy, combined with government efforts to stimulate job creation and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Upper Egypt present opportunities to overcome this development challenge. An increasingly digital Egyptian economy could offer two promising opportunities for young marginalised Egyptians: building startups that leverage digital products – sometimes referred to as the ”app economy” – and seizing employment opportunities offered by global online outsourcing platforms.
This project aims to better understand the enabling conditions for Egyptian youth and women in marginalised communities to improve their livelihoods in the digital economy and will directly address skills and organisational practice deficits in this sector. It focuses on individuals and organisations as change agents enabling women and youth to harness the opportunities offered by new digital tools. Additionally, the project seeks to improve the capacity of government agencies, NGOs, and technology incubators to foster digital entrepreneurship and employment. Finally, the findings and recommendations from the project will seek to influence policy and practices related to improving digital entrepreneurship and employment in the Arab world.

Impact of the project:

-At least 500 youth, including 70% women, trained in digital and business skills
-At least two government agencies (at national and local levels) and two NGOs adopt better practices and policies to better support digital entrepreneurship
-Piloting and testing a curriculum to be scaled to the region

Area of focus of the project:

• ICT in formal education (teacher education, learning materials)
• non-formal training opportunities for women and girls in ICT (coding schools)
• enabling women’s entrepreneurship (entrepreneurship education, financing schemes, incubators)
• increasing the recruitment, retention and promotion of women in the ICT sector