The U.S. Embassy and the Assiut Chamber of Commerce recently co-hosted the second “Economic and Trade Financing Road-Show,” designed to promote access to finance and trade opportunities for small and medium enterprises, at the Chamber of Commerce building in Assiut. Assiut businessmen were invited to attend the event and had the opportunity to speak with Embassy officials after the event and to follow-up with them on specific business inquiries.
Economic Counselor Ian Campbell, and other Embassy officials presented on the Foreign Commercial Service, the Foreign Agricultural Service, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Export Import Bank, the U.S. Trade Development Administration, and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and explained how these programs can support Egyptian businesses.
This was the second of a planned series of conferences designed to explain U.S. Government-supported tools for developing businesses throughout Egypt. The first conference was held in Alexandria in March, and the next conference will be in 6th of October City in May.
This initiative is just one part of a broad commitment to Egypt by the American people. Through this commitment, and in cooperation with our local partners, we are engaged in Assiut in a number of areas, including programs through our USAID mission that are providing support for early grade reading at local elementary schools, working with the medical professionals to promote healthy behaviors, strengthening the employability of Assiut University students who possess the skills to meet the demands of today’s job market, and training and providing loans to small and medium enterprises through the Assiut Business Association.
We have also established an American Window at the Central Library at Assiut University, for which over 1000 titles in history, literature, culture and society, government and politics, law and legislation and English teaching, in addition to computers, were donated in November 2010. In addition, since 2006 the U.S. Government has awarded microscholarships to thousands of students in Assiut and throughout Egypt to study English, US culture, and community service.
In support of civil society, we partnered with the Human Rights Association for Community Development in Assiut on a project to enable citizens to participate in political and developmental decision-making processes at the local level, and with the Young Businessmen Association of Assiut on a project to create a transparent and accountable business environment in Upper Egypt.
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