The Call for Proposals is primarily intended to support women entrepreneurs and women-led businesses and to make financing available to projects that promote the employment of women.

Investing for Employment invites companies and public entities to submit project proposals that contribute to sustainable job creation in the private sector. To reach this goal, the Facility awards co- financing grants ranging from 1 million to 10 million euros per project. The selection of projects is based on a competitive application process and gives priority to high-quality proposals that are ma-ture and ready for execution. It will only co-finance those projects that are rated best in terms of operational viability, financial sustainability, and job creation.

Women are under-represented in the economy, whether as owners, managers, or employees Businesses that are owned or managed by women play an increasingly important role in Egypt. But they still have a long way to go. According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2022, only one in fifty firms in Egypt has a female majority ownership. Only six percent of firms have female top manag-ers. Women account for less than a quarter of the labour-force but are over-represented in the informal sector. On 14 November 2022, the Facility Investing for Employment launched a Call for Proposals in Egypt with a focus on Women in Business. The Call for Proposals is primarily intended to support women entrepreneurs and women-led businesses and to make financing available to projects that promote the employment of women.

The Call for Proposals is seeking applications for four types of investment projects:

  1. Not-for-profit Projects with job creation impact (no revenues):
    The Facility covers up to 90 % of the investment costs.
  2. Not-for-profit Projects with job creation impact (generating revenues):
    The Facility covers up to 75 % the investment costs.
  3. For-profit Projects with broader job creation impact:
    The Facility covers up to 35 % the investment costs.
  4. For-profit Projects with job creation impact:

The Facility covers up to 25 % the investment costs.

Grants range from 1 million to 10 million euros per project. The applicant is obliged to contribute own funds to complete the project finance. The level of co-financing depends on the type of pro-ject.

Potential applicants will have until 22 December 2022 at 5 pm CET, to submit concept notes. The Facility invites companies and other interested parties, whether public or private, to submit highquality concept notes either as a consortium or individual entity.

If you have any questions, please consult our FAQ section: https://invest-for-jobs.com/en/ife-faq If you cannot find the information you need, please send an email to: cfp.wib-egypt@invest-for-jobs.com until 15 December 2022 at 5 pm CET.

A series of online meetings will be organised to present the objectives of the Facility, its conditions for submitting proposals, as well as the steps and modalities of participation. The webinars will take place on 22 November, 6 December, and 13 December 2022 at 10 am CET (11 am in Egypt) on the ZOOM platform. To receive the link, please send an email to: cfp.wib-egypt@invest-for-jobs.com If you would like to know more about the application procedure and whether you are eligible, please consult the information provided on our website: https://invest-for-jobs.com/en/ife-call-for-proposals-wib

The Guidelines for Applicants with details on the application requirements are available in our Download Center: https://invest-for-jobs.com/en/ife-download-center Potential applicants can contact the IFE helpdesk that was created specifically for this Call.

The Facility Investing for Employment is an investment mechanism created by KfW Development Bank on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) as an integral part of the Special Initiative on Training and Job Creation. Operating under the brand Invest for Jobs, the Special Initiative aims to remove investment barriers and to create good jobs and training opportunities in its partner countries in Africa: Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, and Tunisia.

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For more information about the Facility Investing for Employment: https://invest-for-jobs.com/en/ife

General information and further support services offered by the Special Initiative on Training and Job Creation: https://invest-for-jobs.com