This New Initiative is Helping Women in Upper Egypt Start Their Own Businesses

The women of Upper Egypt are getting ready to roll up their sleeves and embrace their entrepreneurial spirit, with today's launch of the Women-UP conference in the city of Sohag. Aiming to empower women in some of Egypt's most marginalised communities, the conference is the result of collaboration between the  Academy of Scientific Research and the European Union, and comes as part of a wider initiative that hopes to arm the women in Upper Egypt with the tools and education necessary to help them start their own businesses.

Offering leadership training, mentoring and technical support, the event will allow for entrepreneurs-in-the-making to pitch their ideas, with the most promising 'girl bosses' set to receive both technical and financial support to turn their ideas into reality.

President of the Academy Of Scientific Research, Mahmoud Sakr, explained in the conference's opening speech that one of the core goal of the project is to enhance women’s participation in the public sector and workforce as a whole. The initiative, which is backed by the National Council for Women, will also be implemented in the governorates of Sharqia, Asyout, Cairo and Janub Al Wadi.