Working With the Private Sector

USAID works with hundreds of local and international companies to achieve our goal of a more inclusive, globally competitive economy for the benefit of all Egyptians.  By pooling resources and expertise, co-designing programs, and convening actors from public and private sectors, these partnerships help USAID achieve greater development scale and longer-term impact. 

PARTNERSHIPS & IMPACT

Scholarships

USAID’s higher education scholarship programs support hundreds of young people pursuing undergraduate degrees at universities throughout Egypt.  USAID facilitates students’ transition to employment by equipping them with employability skills and partnering with the private sector to connect students with internships and job opportunities through networking events, career fairs, and mentorship.  Hundreds of students have completed internships during their studies at a diverse range of local and multinational companies such as Commercial International Bank, Eva Pharma, Qalaa Holdings, General Motors, and Proctor and Gamble. 

Career Centers

To help millions of Egyptian university students begin successful careers, USAID is establishing 30 career centers at 22 public universities throughout Egypt in collaboration with the Government of Egypt and many private companies.  USAID partners with employers to secure internships, job shadowing opportunities, technical training courses, and other career development opportunities for students.  In 2020 and 2021, USAID hosted three virtual career fairs that connected thousands of students and graduates to employers from across the country and gave employers a forum to discuss emerging market trends and skill needs.  So far, the career centers generated nearly 20,000 internship and employment opportunities for students and graduates at companies like Google, Nissan, the National Bank of Egypt, Vodafone Egypt, Etisalat Misr, and JW Marriott.  USAID is also partnering with Google to enable  500 public university students to complete Google Professional Certificates in IT Support, User Experience Design, Project Management, and Data Analytics.

Workforce Development and Technical Education

USAID is committed to improving Egypt's technical secondary education to meet the needs of private businesses, by building the skills and productivity of the workforce in sectors crucial for Egypt's future growth.  In partnership with the Government of Egypt and the private sector, USAID introduced competency-based specializations to the technical education system and developed market-driven curricula programs with the private sector, securing 32,000 jobs and 19,000 internships for technical school graduates and job seekers.  USAID also partnered with 30 companies to introduce the “3R” strategy to recruit, retrain, and retain workers.   The Federation of Egyptian Industries adopted this strategy and is now supporting its members to adopt this highly effective method for talent management.  USAID has recently partnered with 6 private sector companies to establish International Applied Technology Secondary Schools in the areas of artificial intelligence, modern trade, marketing for financial services, molding, software development, and furniture manufacturing.  Each private sector firm has committed LE 8-10 million as a financial contribution.

Enterprise Development

USAID partners with business incubators, accelerators, business development service (BDS) centers, and firms of all sizes to strengthen the overall business enabling environment and help entrepreneurs and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) grow.  Through support and matchmaking, USAID helped entrepreneurs and MSMEs access finance and essential services, and also connected MSMEs in need of clients with large companies in need of local suppliers.  USAID has also partnered with the Egyptian National Competitiveness Council to improve the broader business environment.  USAID engaged with Google to promote digital skills and business management training  through the Maharat min Google platform for over 300 participants. Participants include business professionals affiliated with the Youth Entrepreneurs Network (YEN), the Women Entrepreneurs Network (WEN), and service providers in 16 business development service (BDS).  To date, USAID has helped more than 10,000 entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses through mentors, incubators, and accelerators.

Water

The Center of Excellence for Water is a transformational partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, building the capacity and sustainability of water research and innovation in partnership with eight Egyptian and American universities.  It links academic researchers with the public and private sectors to generate policy and applied research, develop state-of-the-art curricula, and provide scholarships to address imminent challenges in Egypt’s water sector.  USAID also continues to work with water companies in five underserved areas of Upper Egypt, supporting them to operate and maintain effective service provision systems, which directly contributes to the sustainability of water and sanitation services in Egypt.

Agribusiness

USAID works at every stage along the agricultural value chain to connect farmers to markets and financing and increase transparency and sustainability in key agricultural supply chains, in order to improve livelihoods and create job opportunities.  USAID has linked companies such as Giza Seeds, PepsiCo, and Carrefour to reliable suppliers to provide the quantity and quality of product to meet market demand.  USAID also works with companies like the Global Cold Chain Alliance, Alex Form, and Agro Egypt to introduce low-cost, innovative technologies in small-scale cold storage infrastructure and irrigation.  Working with partners, USAID trained more than 51,000 farmers and agricultural workers on new farming techniques that increase yields and thus bolster small agribusinesses.  USAID also facilitated 163 contracts between SME farmers, producer organizations and high-end markets.

Tourism

USAID works with private investors to rehabilitate cultural heritage sites in Historic Cairo and Luxor to increase tourism revenues and local economic benefits, including adapting these sites for purposes like entertainment and dining.  USAID is also working in Esna to increase the community's ability to restore cultural sites and develop higher value-added tourism products and services. 

Voluntary Family Planning

USAID partnered with garment factories and other companies in Upper Egypt and the Port Said industrial zone to increase access to voluntary family planning and reproductive health services and products for factory workers.  Through a partnership with the Ministry of Health and Population, USAID trained peer educators at eight private factories in Upper Egypt, encouraging 2,000 workers to seek family planning and reproductive health counseling and information from health care providers. The Government of Egypt adopted USAID’s model, which will expand these important services to thousands of workers in state-owned factories. 

Women’s Empowerment

To empower young women from marginalized communities, USAID is working with companies like Allianz, Aramex, Deloitte, and Hilton to provide training and internships.  In partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, USAID launched a private sector coalition to leverage the private sector’s resources and expertise to support young people’s empowerment, with a focus on young women. 

Economic Governance

To increase institutions’ effectiveness and accountability, USAID is supporting the Government of Egypt to more extensively consult and collaborate with the private sector.  USAID’s Economic Governance Activity conducted extensive consultations with private sector stakeholders, such as AmCham, the Federation of Egyptian Industries, the Egypt Private Equity Association, and private law firms and lawyers, to inform the Government of Egypt on priority reform areas to improve its performance against the World Governance Indicators and other global good governance indices.  USAID’s Economic Governance Activity also organized the first public symposium on creating an enabling environment for startups and venture capital in Egypt in collaboration with AmCham and the Government of Egypt’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) which resulted in 14 policy recommendations regarding governance and anti-corruption reforms.  USAID used this and other private sector input to finalize a comprehensive government strategy to attract investment capital, including venture capital and sovereign wealth funds, to Egypt's information and communication technology sector.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

USAID is always looking for opportunities to establish shared-value partnerships with private sector companies to address development challenges while improving business outcomes.  Contact USAID to schedule a meeting to explore the possibilities with partnership and subject matter experts at egyptpse@usaid.gov.