Programs: Advocacy

Countries: Egypt

ADF’s Small Business Association Advocacy Initiative (SBAAI) is funded under USAID/Egypt’s Democracy and Governance Annual Program Statement. Small and medium enterprises (SME) employ nearly 66% of the labor force and are a significant economic force in Egypt. The two-year SBAAI project supports the mobilization of Small Businesses Associations (SBA) to engage in increased advocacy efforts with the ultimate purpose of increasing the engagement of small businesses in Egypt’s reform efforts.

 

ADF will work with twenty-six SBAs throughout Egypt to develop their advocacy capacity so they can (1) participate more effectively in public decision making processes; (2) undertake local, regional or national advocacy campaigns on issues of importance to them and that contribute to needed reforms; (3) build stronger SBA regional and national networks to serve as focal points for action and bases for enhancing participation of the SBA community in Egypt's public decision making; and 4) improve SBAs capacity to be effective policy advocates for both reform and small business interests.

 

The SBAAI project seeks to achieve these results through the following components:

(1) Capacity building of SBAs in political reform and issue advocacy; (2) Establishment of new and strengthening of existing regional and national SBA networks using innovative approaches such as building e-linkages and mentoring relationships; and (3) Grant support to help establish SBA networks and SBA advocacy campaigns.

 

ADF is implementing this project in cooperation with the Egyptian Trainers Association for Development (ETAD) and the Arab Society for Reform & Development based at the Alexandria Library.

 

ADF program activities are designed to assist SBAs to establish three regional and one national network, including: 1) an Upper Egypt network covering seven governorates, 2) a Lower Egypt network covering nine governorates, 3) a Greater Cairo Region network covering nine governorates including Sinai & Suez Canal Region. Each network will be linked to existing SBA networks that have benefited from prior USAID support.

 

In order to support the development of effective regional and national networks, ADF will provide training and technical assistance to help SBAs develop and execute action plans to build new or strengthen existing networks. The SBAAI program also will provide financial support through a competitive grants program to enable SBAs to undertake critical organizational tasks necessary to build effective networks such as establishing communication and management mechanisms.

 

ADF is collecting and establishing a repository of information and materials which have been collected or prepared specifically for Egyptian SBA development. ADF will cooperate with the Alexandria Library in making selected materials accessible in digital form. In addition, the project plans to partner with the virtual Arab Civil Society Meeting Point operated by the Arab Society for Reform and Development to implement the SBAAI’s information technology activities.