Over the month of February 2015, 30+ tenders and grant opportunities in Egypt were published by various Development Aid Providers. Five opportunities are at the regional level. Employment generation, technical and vocational training support opportunities received most funding scoring 40% in terms of the number of published procurement notices and 70% in-terms of US$ value. The agricultural, engineering & infrastructure sectors ranked 2^nd and 3^rd scoring 25% and 15% in terms of the total number of procurement opportunities respectively. Contracts / tenders for technical assistance / professional services provision scored 65% of the total number of funded opportunities and 85% of total funding amount whereas the remaining is allocated for grants funding.

Economic growth and employment generation programs funded by the many Development Aid Providers evolve around similar thematic areas of interests which we believe should warrant more Aid coordination and harmonization. Such key thematic areas and / or implementing approaches include promoting entrepreneurship culture; support inclusive economic growth; improve the competitiveness of the private sector; improve value chains; increase accessibility of business development services; increase employability and productivity of the Egyptian labor-force; labor market efficiency, partnership with the private sector to ensure project’s scalability, access to markets & seed funding etc. The list below summarizes tenders and grant opportunities within the employment generation sector. Check Tracker for the full list of tenders and grants’ opportunities to purse and hopefully capture more contracts and grants to grow your business and organizations.

1. USAID-funded Supporting Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development Program (SEED)
2. USAID-funded Workforce Improvement and Skills Enhancement Program (WISE)
3. GIZ- implemented private sector development project with a focus towards more employment generation
4. DFID-funded Arab Women Enterprise Fund (AWEF), a MENA regional fund, to empower women entrepreneurs
5. IDRC implemented Scaling Up Food Security and Nutrition Innovations Research grants - Canadian International Food Security Research Fund funded by the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD)
6. UNIDO-implemented Human Security through Inclusive Socio-economic Development in Upper Egypt Project (HAYAT) supporting agribusiness-related industries
7. UNIDO-implemented Increased Youth Employability and Local Economic Development in Qena and Luxor governorates in cooperation with the Technical Vocational Sector of the Ministry of Education
8. UNIDO-funded and implemented Upgrading the Medicinal and Aromatic value Chain
9. USAID anticipated agricultural value chain development project targeting smallholders in Upper Egypt. (yet at the forecast / lead stage)
10. Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development anticipated 12 million US$ for projects designed to increase women’s access to financial and nonfinancial services, and gain entry to the markets and workforce (yet at the lead stage and RFP is anticipated to be released at the end of March 2015)
11. IFAD-funded sustainable agriculture investment project (yet at the forecast / lead stage)
12. Three opportunities to support entrepreneurs working in the cultural field were also announced.