In June 2018 CISS selected the best terrain could give the Micro-Small Enterprises Incubator (link to the page “About MSEI”) a good space for the training and the future work in the place. The terrain evaluated by CISS Egypt for the construction of the MSEI building consisted of a terrain of around 380 msq situated on the right side of the Kharga Handicraft Center. Several meetings with the Engineer and field visits for a study of the terrain and for the analysis of the foundations of the MSEI were conducted. CISS collected all the drawings and specifications for the MSEI structure delivered by the Engineer and prepared and finalized the Tender Dossier documents in English and Arabic languages to submit and launch the tender in New Valley Governorate.
On the 12th of November 2018 CISS signed a Protocol of Agreement with the Authority of Housing in order to be supported in starting the process of tendering according the Egyptian Law for the construction of the MSEI.
On the 15th of November 2018 CISS made announcement of the Tender Dossier in Gomhoria newspaper and started to collect the Offers from the companies participating to the tender. The overall process was concluded on the 15th of January 2019 with the winner company.
On the 28th of February 2019 the company started the MSEI building construction.
On the 31st of March 2019 CISS Project Management team organised the MSEI First Stone event inviting the Italian Cooperation and the Technical Support Unit of the SWAP Program in Kharga Oasis. The event was held in the terrain next to the Handicraft Center of Kharga Oasis where the MSEI construction was finished in September 2019.
The event was attended by the Head of the Italian Cooperation in Cairo Dr. Felice Longobardi, Technical Experts of the Italian Cooperation, the Deputy Director of the Technical Support Unit Yassin Mubarak and Financial Expert of the TSU, CISS President and Legal Representative Dr. Sergio Cipolla from the Headquarter Italy and all CISS staff in Egypt.
The event started with a welcoming tannoura show for the participants to the event, then the deputy Governor of New Valley Dr. Hanan Magdy laid the first stone followed by Dr. Felice Longobardi and Dr. Sergio Cipolla. LAs and Authorities of the New Valley Governorate, the Director of Tourism, the Director of Cultural Palaces, representatives of El Rwad Association and other local associations and NGOs were present at the event.
The day of the event was concluded with the meeting in the Governorate with His Excellency the Governor of New Valley Mohamed el Zamalot.
The Italian delegation had also the opportunity to visit some of the touristic places of New Valley such as the famous Necropolis of El-Bhagawat.
The "MSEI" will be a point of reference for the enterprises will be registered in it. It will be space for learning and improving technical skills related to business and marketing for the new handicraft, organic farming and ecotourism start-ups will born from it.
For this purpose, CISS is ongoing with vocational training activities.
The 4 months training course named Business Incubator Management and Marketing Training Course, held in the Handicraft Center of Kharga, started on the 27th of April 2019 with its opening day. In order to celebrate all together the period of Ramadan feast, on the 15th of May 2019 CISS Project Management team organised an Eftar with all the trainers and beneficiaries of the Business Incubator Management and Marketing Training Course.
During the Business Incubator Management and Marketing Training Course beneficiaries learnt more about various topics such as business and financial management, marketing, communication, computer literacy, business English and business incubation. The training course classes ended in September 2019.
The trainees during the month of October worked on the submission of their final project work and oral presentation which was discussed in November 2019. The project work consisted of the elaboration of a business plan proposing new start-up activities and it required to apply the knowledge gained during the training course. The project work and oral presentation was an integrated part of the overall evaluation process of the trainees as a further element in support to the decision to select them as tutor or trainer for the next CISS training course.
The activity was concluded with a final ceremony held on the 17th December 2019 providing during the celebration to the trainees who fully completed and participated to the training course a certificate of achievement; a certificate of appreciation was delivered as well to their Trainers. The trainees with the best results were selected to become tutors and trainers of the upcoming CISS Business Training Program for New Valley Entrepreneurs whose beneficiaries will be more than 50 youth and women involved in handicraft activities, organic farming and ecotourism services.
At the same time the works of the Micro-Small Enterprises Incubator were concluded in September 2019 and the MSEI was equipped with facilities (such as desks, computers, projectors, internet access, etc.) arranging the different rooms of the centre with two training halls, two meeting rooms and one computer room. The MSEI will be an important point of reference for the micro small medium enterprises of New Valley. All the formal and informal enterprises of New Valley will be registered on and will be involved in all the services of marketing and selling provided by the centre.
On the 19th January 2020 a Delegation of the SWAP Programme went to Kharga Oasis in New Valley for the opening of the CISS MSEI Micro and Small Enterprises Incubator built under the project.
The event was organized in collaboration with the Governorate of New Valley. The delegation invited was composed by his Excellency the Ambassador of Italy Dr. Giampaolo Cantini, the Head of the Italian cooperation Dr. Felice Longobardi, and the representatives of the TSU Dr. Yassin Mubarak and Dr. Hesham Ktob. From the Governorate side there were His Excellency the Governor of New Valley Mohamed el Zamalot and His Excellency Minister of MOSS Neven alGhabbaj together with other authorities of Kharga Oasis.
The event in the MSEI center started with a welcoming tannoura show.
His Excellency Ambassador of Italy Giampaolo Cantini together with His Excellency the Governor of New Valley Mohamed el Zamalot opened and inaugurated the CISS MSEI centre. Few words were spent during the inauguration by His Excellency Governor of New Valley which was thanking NGO CISS for the work in New Valley underlining all the efforts done and the challenging faced which have been overcome and very important word were said by His excellency the Ambassador of Italy Giampaolo Cantini which was underlining the importance of Italian NGO presence and work in New Valley Governorate giving his best wishes for the future of the MSEI Centre.
The delegation had the chance to visit the Handicraft Center built previously by CISS and the touristic site called Ain El Labaqa where CISS worked in the valorisation and securing of the site under the project "Ecotourism development for New Valley Governorate" funded by the Italian Egyptian Debt Swap Programme in 2010.
Furthermore, under His Excellency Governor request the delegation had the pleasure to see the New Valley handicraft road which was including all the NGOs products of the New Valley together with other visits held. The day ended with a final conference in which the His Excellency the Governor of New Valley wanted to present to the delegation the new programme opportunities for New Valley.
In the end His Excellency Governor of New Valley, thanking the Italian presence in the Governorate for the collaboration and the work done in New Valley, gave an Honory recognition from the Governorate of New Valley to the Ambassador of Italy Dr. Giampaolo Cantini and to the CISS Country Representative for contributing through the projects to the development of the Governorate of New Valley.
Meantime, since the selection process of the trainers and tutors was concluded in January 2020, CISS started a preparation phase composed of a period of three months of couching the selected tutors and trainers in order to enhance their capacities and skills. Furthermore, with the “How to perform the Training Portfolio workshop” held on the 4th March 2020 CISS started a new phase of preparation for the “CISS Business Training Program for New Valley Entrepreneurs” Training Portfolio. CISS Egypt Project Management team organised the workshop in order to support trainers and tutors in preparing an executive plan for the actual training process, by preparing the scientific material, activities and procedural steps necessary for the implementation of the training on the basis of the training objectives.
The training course foreseen by the activity A.1.3 “Training of 50 youth and women” of the project will start in June 2020 and will last until the end of the year.
While the selected trainers and tutors are working enhancing their capacities as trainers and tutors, the selection process of the new upcoming CISS Business Training Program for New Valley Entrepreneurs is ongoing. Admission requirements have been established in such a way that target groups, and in particular women, will have the chance to participate. Selected beneficiaries will be provided training about professional items such as business and financial management, products (handicraft, organic farming and ecotourism services), entrepreneurial activities, marketing, e-commerce, computer literacy, foreign languages.
Therefore, the MSEI centre will start its activities as training centre and point of reference for the beneficiaries will follow interesting new professional courses and which will be engaged in new occupational activities and perspectives. The participation of the beneficiaries to the training courses and the quality of the education they will receive will be a point of strength of the project since some of them will become tutors, trainers and animators of the MSEI. This is essential for the development of the activities inside the MSEI, for the medium to long term sustainability of the project and for its development.
CISS Project Management team also started to work on the planning and implementation of a marketing and business plan for New Valley aimed at improving and strengthening the local businesses in the region and its territorial marketing from an eco-touristic perspective.
Stay tuned to know more about the upcoming activities and events of the project: News and Events.
