Dr. Heba Zaki, Director of the Egypt Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, participated in the closing ceremony of the fifth edition of the Tatweer Misr Innovation Competition, organized by Tatweer Misr. The event was attended by a distinguished group of economists and entrepreneurs.

In her speech, Dr. Heba Zaki highlighted the current global challenges arising from geopolitical conflicts, financial crises, and the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world economy. She noted that as complexity increases, uncertainty rises, making future predictions more difficult. To address this situation, societies must develop resilience and adaptability, emphasizing that innovation is key to overcoming these challenges.

Dr. Zaki stressed the importance of investing in education and healthcare, as well as integrating entrepreneurship education into school curricula. She explained that instilling problem-solving and innovation-driven thinking in students from an early age is crucial for tackling societal challenges effectively.

She also highlighted Egypt’s achievements in entrepreneurship and innovation, pointing out the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development's strong focus on this field. She explained that entrepreneurship is a key economic driver, essential for achieving transformative growth in the national economy. To this end, the Egypt Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation was established under ministerial decree, operating under the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, which serves as the training arm of the Ministry.

Dr. Zaki outlined several key milestones achieved by the center over the past year, including:

• Launching the center’s digital platform, providing a resource hub for entrepreneurs, policymakers, and investors.
• Activating an online educational platform, offering over 72 training programs in Arabic, English, French, and Sign Language. The platform is also set to expand its content with courses from the "100 Million Learners Initiative" by Thunderbird School of Global Management (USA).
• Implementing three pre-incubation programs in sustainable fashion, biotechnology, and Industry 4.0 digital transformation, resulting in the graduation of 60 projects across these sectors.

Additionally, six rounds of ideation boot camps were conducted, benefiting nearly 300 young men and women from across Egypt. In a major milestone, the center was accredited by the University of Missouri (USA) as an official educational hub for entrepreneurship and innovation training.

Dr. Zaki also highlighted a first-of-its-kind government partnership between the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (via the Egypt Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation) and the Innovators Care Fund under the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. This collaboration aims to implement several initiatives, including the launch of the Startup Egypt National Incubation and Acceleration Program, which will open applications during the center’s annual event next month.