The Ministry of Planning, PepsiCo Egypt, and RiseUp sign a cooperation protocol to support youth through the “Egypt 2030 Hackathon”

Egypt’s Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Hala El-Said signed a protocol of cooperation between the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, PepsiCo Egypt, and RiseUp, during the activities of the World Youth Forum, to organize the “Egypt 2030 Hackathon” for three years to find innovative solutions to develop the health and economic sector in Egypt.The protocol was signed by Dr. Ghada Khalil, Director of the Rowad 2030 Project at the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, Mr. Ahmed Habous, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors for Public Policies and Foreign Affairs at PepsiCo Egypt, and Mr. Abdel Hamid Sharara, founder and CEO of RiseUp.This came after holding a dialogue session entitled Sustainable Development Goals and the Entrepreneurship System to discuss how the government, private companies, and Egyptian startups plan to implement an approach that incorporates the entrepreneurship system to reach the sustainable development goals.The second edition of the "Egypt Hackathon 2030" comes following the strategic priorities set by "UNIDO", and under the supervision of the United Nations Office in Egypt, which includes the health sectors, resilient industries, and infrastructure to recover from the effects of the economic Corona pandemic and find innovative solutions to develop these sectors to keep pace with any future challenges.During the agreement, PepsiCo announced its financial support in the amount of 500,000 Egyptian pounds for the winner, provided that RiseUp Company will undertake the actual implementation on the ground of the various stages, in addition to providing technical support to entrepreneurs by providing advice and guidance during the “Hackathon” stages.El-Said said that the protocol confirms the keenness of the Egyptian state and the ministry to support cooperation with development partners, and to maximize the benefit from the efforts and activities of the social responsibility of the private sector, following up that the protocol represents one of the fruits of the development partnership and the participatory approach.


El-Said explained that the protocol aims to organize the "Egypt Hackathon 2030" competition, sponsored by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development and PepsiCo Egypt, to target entrepreneurs, innovators, scientists, developers, and designers, with the participation of about 200 representatives of young women, males and people with special needs.
She added that organizing the "Egypt Hackathon 2030" competition contributes to achieving sustainable development goals by maximizing the role of youth, with a focus on one of the UN goals and some different topics each year.El-Said explained that the protocol came in line with the competence of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development concerning formulating Egypt’s Vision 2030 in coordination with the ministries and relevant authorities and following up on its implementation, in addition to following up on the implementation of the UN goals, ensuring that this is consistent with Africa’s Agenda 2063, as well as developing and supporting entrepreneurship and innovation and working on Contribute to comprehensive and sustainable economic development.She also touched on the efforts of the state and the ministry in the field of encouraging entrepreneurship, stressing that the Egyptian state aims to mobilize all available resources and energies, to achieve comprehensive and sustainable development, by stimulating community participation in which the role of both youth and women is prominent.El-Said said that according to the International Labor Organization, entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized companies are the largest sources of employment, as entrepreneurship promotes economic growth, accelerates innovation, stimulates sustainable development, and creates decent job opportunities.Mohamed Shelbaya, Chairman of PepsiCo Egypt, expressed his pride in PepsiCo Egypt’s participation in the World Youth Forum, which reflects the company’s belief in the importance of supporting and empowering youth, as they are an essential pillar in the advancement of society and access to a better future, which reflects the company’s approach to supporting and providing opportunities for talent. Young women through PepsiCo Egypt’s various initiatives and programs to support young people in various fields.Shelbaya also expressed his happiness in cooperating with the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development and RiseUp to sign the "Egypt Hackathon 2030" protocol, which is an implementation of the thought adopted by the political leadership through the World Youth Forum, due to the real support provided by the hackathon and the application of innovative youth ideas.






“Startups are currently a mainstay in the Egyptian economy,” said Abdel Hamid Sharara, CEO of RiseUp.
Abdul Hamid stressed the importance of the role of innovation and proper cooperation between the public and private sectors in facing challenges.