Methanex Egypt, in partnership with the International Labor Organization (ILO), hosted the third round of the “Rowad Domiat” competition under their “Together to Develop Damietta’s Youth” project. The event saw 25 innovative green projects that fall under three categories: Agri-businesses, social businesses, and green technology projects. The competition culminated with nine outstanding ventures recognized with awards for Best Startup and Best Existing Business.

The competition was attended by Mohamed Gibran, the Minister of Labor; Ayman El Shehaby, Governor of Damietta; Eric Oechslin, Director of the ILO Cairo Office; and Mohamed Shindy, Managing Director of Methanex Egypt.

As part of the competition, participants benefited from intensive training sessions in pitching and presentation skills, ensuring their projects were evaluated based on innovation, market potential, feasibility, social impact, and sustainability.

In his remarks, Methanex Egypt’s Managing Director, Mohamed Shindy, expressed: “This competition is not just a competition, but a real opportunity to transform the ideas of our youth into real projects that create job opportunities and advance development in Damietta. This is the primary goal of our partnership with the International Labor Organization, which began in 2019 with the aim of empowering young entrepreneurs and supporting them in developing their projects and providing job opportunities for them and others in the Damietta community.”

“The success of the ILO project supported by Methanex has been based on the cooperation among the different entities in Damietta especially the Governor’s Office as well as the partners from the Government, employers and chambers and workers and trade unions. If I add the work done with the Universities, all together we can do a lot to ensure the success and reputation of Damietta,” Eric Oechslin, Director of the ILO Cairo Office, stated.

Rowad Domiat competition was first launched in 2022 as part of the collaborative agreement between Methanex Egypt and the ILO in 2019 to create decent employment opportunities for the youth of Damietta. This project aligns with Methanex’s broader corporate social responsibility strategy, contributing to Egypt’s Vision 2030 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Over the course of the partnership, more than 2,300 training opportunities have been created, resulting in 725 new jobs.

To build on this success, Methanex Egypt and the ILO have signed a new five-year agreement in 2023 to continue to foster entrepreneurship, enhance job matching, and build the capacity of local service providers, furthering the shared goal of empowering the youth of Damietta while contributing to Egypt’s sustainable development agenda.