Cairo-The PMU of Robbiki Relocation Project has turned its attention to Simac Tanning Tech, the top-level international event for technology in the footwear, leather goods and tanning industries, and participated in the Egyptian Delegation organized by the Italian Trade Agency in Simac Tanning 2018’s Edition.

18,000 sqm, 300 exhibitors, 20 foreign delegations and over 160 operators. These are some of the numbers that spelled out the importance of this event – a showcase of excellence for the many national and international exhibitors in attendance. This is an industry where Italian firms are undisputed world leaders who have the ability to shape future trends.

Concurrently with Simac Tanning Tech, from 20 to 22 February, the 94th edition of Lineapelle was held at Fiera Milano: this is the leading exhibition worldwide for leathers, accessories, alternative components and materials for clients in the fashion and luxury industry, furnishings and automotive sectors. A vast and diverse industrial sector, encompassing over 50,000 businesses that create a total annual turnover in excess of 150 billion dollars.

The feedback of the Italian exhibitors during the meetings held at their pavilions at the Simac Tanning Tech and Lineapelle 2018 compared to their business with the Egyptian operators was very positive and satisfying. This has been confirmed by the local sourced data of the Italy/Egypt exchange of leather tanning machines, relative to the first ten months of 2017. Italy has maintained its primary position as a supplier of technology to Egypt for a value of 3.733 Mln of US $, with a market share equal to 77,8% of the total Egyptian imports 4.8 Mln US$ achieving a growth of 877% compared to US $ 382 thousand in the same period of 2016.

Cairo-September 2018-The Multi-Educational Programme for Employment Promotion in Migration-affected Areas (MEPEP) falls under the scope of the “Enhancing the Response to Migration Challenges in Egypt Programme which is funded by the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for stability and addressing the root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa.

With a planned three-year duration, the action aims at enhancing economic and equal opportunities, in particular for vulnerable groups by improving the quality of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system in Egypt.The Action targets the Sharkeya Governorate as it has been identified – according to a recent research conducted by the National Center for Sociological and Criminological Research – as one of the top-ten Governorates in Egypt that boast the largest number of Egyptian youth who wish to leave Egypt and illegally migrate to other countries. In particular, the 10th of Ramadan Industrial Zone resulted being the most relevant intervention area due to the presence of a dynamic Egyptian and non-Egyptian industrial force on which the creation of a high-level and market-oriented TVET Center can have the major impact.

The Implementation of the activities will be assigned to a TVET provider already operating in the country with an extensive experience in delivering innovative and alternative TVET, to be selected through a call for proposal.

The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) – Cairo Office will work in close cooperation with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoTI), namely the Productivity and Vocational Training Department (PVDT), as the main national entities mandated in the area of TVET.

Currently, the project formulation phase is concluded and the documents need to be validated by the European Union before the signature of the delegation agreement.

Cairo-AICS Cairo is glad to announce that on September 6th 2018,  AICS Joint Committee  approved the financing of three programs to be implemented in Egypt . These are:

AFRICA – EGYPT Inclusive and sustainable development of the tomato value chain in Egypt – UNIDO -. Euro 2.000.000  The project aims to support the development of an inclusive and sustainable tomato value chain in Egypt by increasing value-addition and by enhancing technical capacities of youth, thereby enhancing their employability and job/business opportunities. The proposed initiative is therefore focusing on creating a Pilot Training and Service Center primarily serving the tomato processing value chain by linking primary producers with the processing industry, by offering a set of services for the existing and new tomato processors to develop their business starting by upgrading labor skills through specialized training courses and by introducing innovative products and/or processes to compete in the internal and external markets.

AFRICA – EGITTO – OIM – Initiatives for Local Development of Egypt through the support of Egyptians Abroad (ILDEA). Euro 500.000  The project, is the second phase of the Programme  “Initiatives for Local Development of Egypt through the Support of Egyptians Abroad”. The initiatives aims to support the Government of Egypt to consolidate efforts in engaging Egyptian expatriates in the development of the country, by building a strategic policy expatriates engagement for development along with a communication strategy with expatriate communities through a participatory approach that envisages the involvement of various stakeholder engaged in migration and development affairs. The project will also enhance the knowledge and skills of authorities of Egyptian authorities to reach out expatriate communities and promote trade and investment to Egypt through trust building activities. The project will expands on the size and geographical scope of the ongoing community development initiatives.

AFRICA – EGITTO – UNFPA –Support to the National Strategy to contain Egypt’s Population Growth . Euro 2.000.000. The overall objective of the present initiative is to lowering Egypt’s population growth rates. The specific objective is to support the implementation of the National Population Strategy (NPS) by promoting voluntary Family Planning. In this respect, the proposed intervention will cover a period of two years and is two-fold: on the one hand it will roll out entertainment education to increase awareness on the importance of adopting the “small family” concept and, on the other hand, increase demand and access for family planning services. The main institutional counterpart is the National Population Council, a public entity mandated to foster, coordinate and oversee the implementation of the NPS across all Government institutions, at both the central and local levels. Non-state actors, local non-governmental organisations as well as media are additional relevant partners contributing to the implementation of the initiative. The delegated body in charge of implementing the proposed intervention is UNFPA, being the United Nations Agency mandated to address population policies and programmes. UNFPA has been the lead Agency involved in the drafting and launching of the NPS in Egypt in 2014 and has a proven track-record of good relations with the relevant public and state actors involved in this area. The NPS sets population targets for 2030 in tandem with Egypt’s Vision 2030 plan. A five-year action plan was also launched in 2015 with specific targets to achieve the strategy.