Egypt is set to launch a “Shabab Balad Academy” to provide entrepreneurship training and innovation support for young people, officials said, following a meeting to review the progress of the country’s national “Shabab Balad” youth empowerment initiative.
The meeting between Minister of Planning, Rania Al-Mashat, and Minister of Youth and Sports, Ashraf Sobhy, with the participation of UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt, Elena Panova, reviewed the joint efforts in implementing the initiative, which is the Egyptian chapter of the global Generation Unlimited programme.
Al-Mashat, who co-chairs the initiative’s board with Panova, underlined the importance of “Shabab Balad” within national efforts to empower young people and develop their skills. She noted that since its launch in 2022, the initiative has made significant progress, with around 80 entities from the government, UN organisations, and the private sector joining to deliver effective programmes.
The new “Shabab Balad Academy,” to be based in Cairo in cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, will provide platforms for entrepreneurship training, co-working spaces, mentoring programmes, and opportunities to foster innovation among young people.
For his part, the minister of youth and sports emphasized that the initiative reflects the state’s commitment to investing in the potential of its youth. He added that the ministry is working closely with partners to deliver integrated programmes aimed at developing skills, strengthening a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, and expanding digital transformation and financial inclusion initiatives.
Panova expressed her appreciation for the ministers’ support and reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to continuing its collaboration with government and private sector entities to reach more young people and to scale up empowerment efforts under the initiative.
In August 2024, the CEO of the global Generation Unlimited initiative, Kevin Frey, announced the appointment of Al-Mashat to the international board, joining a group of global economic leaders and senior private sector executives.
