Egypt's Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat attended the 5th Egypt's Entrepreneur Awards (EEA) 2025 at the Grand Egyptian Museum. She stated that entrepreneurship remains a core pillar for a more productive, innovative, and competitive economy. Winners were announced across 15 categories, including excellence in artificial intelligence and education innovation.
The awards ceremony at the Grand Egyptian Museum announced winners in 15 diverse categories, including excellence in artificial intelligence and advanced technologies, and innovation in education. Notable attendees included former Minister of Education and Technical Education Tarek Shawki, Qalaa Holdings Managing Director Hisham El-Khazindar, and Ievents CEO and EEA founder Amr Mansi.
The Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation participated in the judging panel for the Green Innovation category, represented by Ambassador Hisham Badr, Assistant Minister for Strategic Partnerships, Excellence and Initiatives. Three emerging projects from companies graduating from the Ministry's National Initiative for Smart Green Projects were shortlisted in this category.
In her address, Al-Mashat congratulated the organizers for sustaining the event for a fifth consecutive year, stating that recognizing entrepreneurship is “not a luxury” but a necessity for economies aiming to keep pace with technological reform, enhance competitiveness, and strengthen Egypt's regional profile.
She explained that entrepreneurship and innovation are central to the new economic model Egypt is implementing, targeting diversification, productivity, value-added growth, localization of technology and industry, and alignment with global and regional developments. Al-Mashat emphasized that Egypt sees entrepreneurship as a primary driver of economic and social development, highlighting the role of the Ministerial Group for Entrepreneurship and the Cabinet-affiliated Advisory Committee for Entrepreneurship and Digital Economy in supporting the sector. These bodies aim to boost competitiveness and address entrepreneurs' challenges through coordination among government, investors, and key ecosystem stakeholders.
Al-Mashat noted that Egypt has developed advanced digital infrastructure and is building on it via an artificial intelligence strategy and efforts to attract technological investments. These initiatives position Egypt as a hub for companies in fintech, e-commerce, and logistics, supported by robust human capital and over 750,000 qualified graduates annually, many in technology fields. The government is prioritizing the removal of barriers to startup growth, with the Ministerial Group uniting national entities, ecosystem players, and investors to ensure ongoing coordination, overcome obstacles, and unlock new opportunities for venture capital.