Cairo – On October 16, nine technical school teams received awards for their innovative ideas in the Fanni Mobtaker Innovation Competition sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Ministry of Education and Technical Education, and the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology. The top three prizes were awarded to Toqa Mahmoud Mohamed Mahmoud from Alexandria for her innovative food production technique; to Abdel Rahman Mohamed Abdel Salam and Omar Mahmoud Ramadan from Ismailia for their multi-purpose shipping container innovation; and to Emam Ali Emam Gomaa and Ahmed Hassan Abdel Moneim from Sharquia for their plastic and metal recycling machine. From over 2,000 applicants, 45 teams reached the final stage to present their plans and prototypes in sectors including logistics and renewable energy; industrial; and agriculture and tourism education.

“We are proud to honor the finalists and winners of the competition,” said Rebecca Latorraca, USAID/Egypt Deputy Mission Director.  “We recognize and celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit and innovative energy of all the teams that entered.”

Through its workforce development project, USAID and the Ministry of Education and Technical Education are working together to modernize Egypt’s education system to ensure technical training matches market demand.  Students receive the training they need to find jobs through an innovative entrepreneurship curriculum and participation in innovation clubs that provide equipment, mentors and global peer linkages.  Thanks to these programs, the private sector has better access to talented candidates for internships and jobs, and, in turn, can better advance Egypt’s economy.  USAID currently works in 60 vocational schools in 11 governorates, and coordinates curriculum design and delivery with private sector employers.

USAID’s support of the WISE project is part of the $30 billion that the American people have invested in Egypt through USAID since 1978.  To learn more about USAID’s work in Egypt, please see www.usaid.gov/egypt and follow along on Facebook and Twitter at @USAIDEgypt.