Catalyzing private-sector growth and empower youth-led innovation, Egyptian Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk announced the allocation of EGP 5 billion in the 2025/2026 state budget to support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The new fiscal year, which began on July 1, marks a renewed national focus on entrepreneurship, industrial productivity, and inclusive economic development.
The earmarked funding is designed to expand affordable financing channels, particularly for young entrepreneurs operating in priority sectors, and to strengthen local production capacity, generate jobs, and boost Egypt’s competitiveness.
A Strategic Investment in the Future of Egypt’s Private Sector
At the core of this initiative is a new cooperation protocol signed between the Ministry of Finance and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA). The agreement lays the groundwork for financial and policy coordination aimed at accelerating enterprise growth, ensuring the agency’s long-term financial sustainability, and embedding MSMEs into the national development agenda.
Targeted Initiatives to Support Inclusive Growth
According to Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk, the EGP 5 billion fund will be directed toward a series of strategic initiatives designed to stimulate inclusive economic growth. These include providing integrated financing packages for beneficiaries of tax relief schemes, promoting domestic manufacturing and import substitution, and supporting high-value export-oriented projects. The fund will also empower low-income families through targeted microenterprise support and extend preferential financing to businesses operating under the unified tax system, thereby encouraging formalization and expanding access to capital for emerging enterprises.
Driving Entrepreneurial Growth
Basel Rahmi, CEO of MSMEDA, lauded the ministry’s proactive role in prioritizing enterprise support. He emphasized the agency’s readiness to deploy the newly allocated resources toward youth empowerment, women-led business support, and regionally balanced economic development.
“This partnership with the Ministry of Finance will allow us to scale our outreach, improve our financial tools, and expand access to markets and capital—particularly for Egypt’s next generation of business leaders.” Rahmi said.
The cooperation between the Ministry of Finance and MSMEDA signals a holistic, whole-of-government approach to economic development—one that places entrepreneurship, innovation, and financial equity at the center of Egypt’s growth model.
