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Egypt Entrepreneur Network (EEN) is a bilingual, social business networking platform that provides e-mentoring to act as a one-stop shop for entrepreneurial success in Egypt, providing a single window access to business resources and networking opportunities to help them build businesses and livelihoods. As part of ImagineNations Network (INN), the Egypt portal provides market-specific content and services to meet the needs of local users with global resources and connections.
“The Internet offers a transformative value of providing the user with fast and convenient information and networks,” said Stefanie Harrington, ImagineNations Network’s program director. “Imagine-Network.org is about creating opportunities globally and locally, and the Egyptian portal will enable its participants to connect with thousands of entrepreneurs and mentors locally, as well as worldwide.”
Developed and localized by the e-Learning Competence Centre (ELCC), in partnership with ImagineNations Network, EEN fosters an inspiring entrepreneurial culture that connects, trains, sustains and celebrates entrepreneurship and economic development in Egypt. ELCC is Egypt’s leading organization in e-Learning with a track record of developing and delivering a wide array of state-of-the art e-Learning courses, web communications and e-content; setting and disseminating the quality standards of e-Learning; providing best practice research and expert consultancy in e-Learning and engendering the first wave of facilitators and e-trainers into the market.
The launch of EEN was announced at Cairo ICT 2012, an annual three-day conference held April 26-29 with the theme “Spring of Technologies.” Speakers at the launch included Mohamed Salem, minister of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT); Yasser Kazem, director of ELCC; Ashraf Farghlay, CEO of the Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center; and Stefanie Harrington of INN. The conference was attended by ministers from five African countries, officials from Egypt and other Arab countries, global and local companies, entrepreneurs and organizations.
With the local support of ELCC, EEN will assist, inform and encourage start-up CEOs, founders, aspiring entrepreneurs, mentors, investors and GEP partners to network, share experiences and engage in valuable educational and mentorship opportunities.
“ELCC serves as the central vehicle in Egypt for bridging the gap among Egyptian SMEs, knowledge workers and the global economy. As a hub for the integration, development and dissemination of e-Learning content of relevance to the Egyptian market, through the newly launched portal, ELCC will continuously provide young Egyptians with the business and technology skills they need to help their businesses become efficient, productive and competitive,” noted Harrington.
About ImagineNations Network
ImagineNations Network (Imagine-network.org) is a platform of global and local portals that engages and connects young entrepreneurs to each other and to mentors, supporters, financing sources and markets to spur the development and growth of youth-led businesses. ImagineNations Network (INN) offers a one-stop platform for young people, NGOs, supporters, financing sources, commercial outlets, and others to interact virtually to promote youth-led entrepreneurship and economic development. The platform was developed by ImagineNations Group (www.imaginenations.org) in collaboration with Mercy Corps, and with support from Cisco Foundation and the Global Partnership for Youth Investment (GPYI) of the World Bank. ImagineNations® Group is a partnership-based global network that provides aspiring entrepreneurs with the financial capital, technologies, and business/leadership coaching that young women and men need in order to start micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises in emerging and frontier markets.