MSMEDA, Amazon.eg sign MoU to support local businesses in Egypt

CAIRO - 29 March 2022: Minister of Trade and Industry in Egypt and Executive Director of Egyptian Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSMEDA), Nevine Gamea, witnessed the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Amazon Egypt and MSMEDA. 

 

The MoU comes as part of Amazon’s continuous commitment to enabling small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), the MoU was signed by Aly Gamay, Senior Program Manager at Amazon Marketplace, and Raafat Abbas, Head of Non-Financial Services Central Sector at MSMEDA, in the presence of Omar Elsahy, General Manager of Amazon Egypt, and Tarek Shash, Deputy Executive Chairman at MSMEDA. 

 

Through this partnership, Amazon Egypt will support MSMEDA-registered businesses interested in availing their products to millions of customers and growing their business online.

 

Nevine Gamea stated that the MoU between Amazon Egypt and MSMEDA is in line with Egypt Vision 2030 to assist SMBs in different sectors, helping them to sustainably expand their business model. She stressed the important role of leading technology companies in the field of ecommerce, such as Amazon Egypt. During the signing ceremony, the Minister reflected on the advancement of technology that Amazon provides for SMBs.

 

“MSMEDA is keen to provide various types of support for SMBs in all sectors including fashion, leather, food, or furniture to help business owners market their products. This is in addition to supporting handicrafts and heritage arts that reflect the cultural diversity of the Egyptian civilization. MSMEDA is also constantly working on developing its mechanisms to help business owners expand the exposure of their products, which can positively impact their growth and expansion, and increase their competitiveness locally and globally,” Gamea said.

 

Gamea added that MSMEDA partners with different sectors to facilitate the participation in local and international exhibitions that MSMEDA organizes or regularly takes part in to ensure the continuation of market exposure, providing a bigger opportunity for SMBs to expand their business. In addition, ecommerce customers and marketing applications have doubled in number in recent years, especially after the pandemic, which makes the adoption of ecommerce by SMBs a necessity that enhances the sector's growth rates.

 

For his part, Omar Elsahy, General Manager of Amazon Egypt, said that at Amazon, supporting SMBs is a fundamental part of our work and an extension of our customer-centric culture. In fact, more than 50% of everything sold in Amazon’s stores globally comes from third-party sellers, most of which are small and medium-sized businesses. 

 

Elsahy added that partnering with MSMEDA will help us highlight Egypt’s rich handicrafts heritage, adding valuable selection to customers shopping on Amazon.eg.”

“We will continue to support Egypt’s vision for economic diversification and digitalization, acting as a key partner in the country’s path to progress in today’s digital economy. This partnership is a key milestone in our ongoing efforts to champion small businesses within our local communities. We are confident that our efforts with MSMEDA will encourage more Egyptian entrepreneurs to sell on Amazon.eg, as they choose to grow their businesses with us,” Elsahy stated.

 

According to the MoU, Amazon Egypt will provide MSMEDA-registered businesses with educational webinars, professional product photography services, onboarding business sessions for Amazon.eg, and ongoing seller support. Amazon will also curate a dedicated storefront focused on handmade local products on Amazon.eg to showcase products available from MSMEDA-registered businesses. Once the businesses are registered to sell on Amazon.eg, they will have the opportunity to access Amazon.eg’s seller support services and account management services. The services offer businesses strategic advice and insights, helping them sustain and grow their business on Amazon.eg’s marketplace.

 

Tarek Shash, Deputy Executive Chairman at MSMEDA, confirmed that the partnership with Amazon is in line with MSMEDA’s vision to support SMBs and help them market their products using modern digital tools and ecommerce. He said MSMEDA will continue to provide local talents with financial and non-financial programs and workshops to expand their business plans and achieve their full potential.

 

Raafat Abbas, Head of Non-Financial Services Central Sector at MSMEDA, explained that technical support services provided for small businesses are also among the most important factors that contribute to their success and sustainability. He said MSMEDA will support business owners who wish to display their products through ecommerce and train them to develop their products to comply with the applicable requirements locally and globally.