Arabian Cement Company announced the launch of its social start-up program, "Khaleeha Suessi", helped by Nahdet El Mahrousa (NM), the first incubator of early stage social enterprises in the Middle East and MENA region. The program aims at promoting positive social impact and employment opportunities by providing entrepreneurs with the tools needed to successfully establish their own social startups. The launch press conference was attended by Jose Maria Magrina, ACC Chief Executive Officer; and Loay El-Shawarby, Chairperson of Nahdet El Mahrousa. The first phase of the program is from 24 May - 4 July, where applicants are to submit their initial proposals. This phase also includes hosting one information session in Cairo and two sessions in Suez to raise awareness about the program and provide more information about it. Once the applications have been considered by the panel of experts, 15-30 shortlisted applicants will be announced on 12 July. The following phases of the program include offering support to the selected applicants to enable them to develop a final proposal about their enterprises, with the final 5-7 enterprises being chosen on 10 October for the incubation phase; receiving the seed funding . "Impactful social programs have been, and will continue to be, one of the main pillars of our strategy for the Egyptian market," said Jose Maria Magrina, ACC CEO. "Today, I'm honored to launch this program for Suez, the governorate where our business is based. At ACC, we're keen to give back to the community where we operate, and we can't think of a better way to do so than by supporting the youth of Suez to realize their dreams and establish successful enterprises. This program is a unique one, in terms of concept and implementation. As such, I believe that we've been able to take our contribution to supporting the society to the next level". In order to qualify for the year-long program, enterprises must offer an innovative business idea that has the potential to become scalable and sustainable, and have social impact in Suez. The program will build the entrepreneurs' technical skills in fields such as management; business and strategic planning; marketing; and public relations, and provide direct access to experts for legal and financial consultation. “If you have any idea for small enterprise in Suez, present it to Arabian Cement Company and Nahdet El Mahrousa and you will receive the technical and financial support, especially if it includes 2 individuals at least with a value of EGP 80 thousand per each one, said Nesreen El Messiry, ACC's CEO Assistant .The company allocates EGP1.2 Mn annually for these enterprises, which are playing an increasingly important role in employing youth. The company also seeks launching the Program in all governorates in Egypt.
