Local Opportunities in Egypt

Whether its upskilling, reskilling or learning something for the very first time, training schemes and courses are an excellent way of building your skillset and improving your career prospects. Despite online trainings being plentiful and at your fingertips – think edX or Udemy – other forms of trainings are also readily available in Egypt.

Egypt boasts an impressive selection of training courses and schemes, such as apprenticeships, on the job trainings, and courses under Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system. Choosing one of these paths ensures that you can develop both technical and soft skills covering a wide variety of jobs. Training schemes such as these are linked to the kind of skills that employers are looking for, which is great news for job opportunities post-training. Below we have laid out some of the opportunities available from both the private and government sectors. The cost of these programmes varies between institutions and programmes, and some Egyptian banks offer student loans to cover the costs.

Egypt’s Governmental TVET System:

The largest training services on offer are by far those of the Egyptian TVET system, with nearly 3,000 institutions offering programmes covering a large variety of specialisations in the pre-university, tertiary, formal and non-formal sectors.

In order to apply for a TVET course, you need to create a profile on the official Ministry of Education and Technical Education’s website found here.

The process is primarily guided by an in-person entrance exam relating to the courses of choice, and finally an interview. Further than this, each course will have slightly different requirements - for example some courses are specific to the governorate of residence, some courses only admit men, others only cater to those 18 and under. For more information on Egyptian TVETs click here.

Private Sector and non-governmental TVET:

In addition to the above, there are a host of private sectors and nongovernmental TVET providers, such as:

1. Don Bosco
   Offering technical and vocational education programmes tailored to the Italian higher education standards for technical training institutes. Programmes are either three or five year courses.
2. Workers University
   A private university with 11 branches across Egypt. Programmes include Electrical or Mechanical Technological Development, and industrial Relations. Both programmes are four yearlong courses.
3. IECD
   IECD has been in Egypt since 2013 and focuses on tackling unemployment through the provision of skills and services. IECD focuses on three year training courses in the topic of electrical energy and maintenance.
4. National Academy for Science and Skills (NASS)
   NASS is a private training provider specialising in both technical and non-technical skills provision, such as industrial technology, electrics, air conditioning, facility management, jewellery, automotive, and construction. NASS collaborates with City & Guilds – a UK awarding body.
5. Federation for Egyptian Industries (FEI)
   One of the country’s largest employer’s associations, FEI continues to represent employers’ needs and has been instrumental in identifying candidates for apprenticeships, on the job training, job vacancies and public private partnership schemes for work based learning.
6. The Egyptian German Technical Academy (Siemens-GIZ Occupational Academy)
   Established in 2019 through an alliance between Siemens and GIZ (Germany’s development agency). The academy offers skills development in workplace safety and automation in line with local industry demands.
7. The Arab Contractors Management and Technology Training Institute (MTTI)
   The MTTI offers training programmes specially tailored to the construction industry, including stonemasonry, carpentry, joinery, plastering, scaffolding, welding and formwork.
8. El Gouna Technical Nursing Institute
   Established by the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development, the institute caters to the education and training of nurses including programmes on the foundations of nursing, adult nursing practices, wellness, microbiology, sociology, and English.
9. The German Hotel School El Gouna
   Located in Gouna, the German Hotel School offers five year technical educational and vocational trainings for the hotel and hospitality sectors.

Owning and operating your own business is an exciting and fulfilling endeavour for many individuals around the world, and in Egypt, small businesses make up 98% of the private sector.

As an owner of a small business, you can enjoy a lot more control and independence over your career as each decision that you take – including those such as who gets to work with you, how your wealth is created, and the types of work and its locations - are truly your own.

On the other hand, starting your business is also one of the most challenging things you can undertake. You will inevitably work harder and longer hours, you will bear all responsibility for decisions taken (a lot of the time with no concrete guidance), and you may not get paid for a while as you establish and consolidate your business.

However, if you are the type of person who derives great satisfaction from others buying or using the products or services you have designed, and you are able to solve problems and think outside the box, starting your own business may the correct path for you!

Check out the paragraphs below, to collect more information about the steps to establishing your business in Egypt.

Prerequisites to Establishing a Small Business in Egypt:

1. A minimum of 50,000EGP start-up capital is required to begin establishing a small business legally.
2. Egyptian law requires at least two partners when establishing a ‘Limited Liability Company’, otherwise on individual may establish a ‘Sole Person Company’.

Required Documentation:

Various documentation is required in order to establish a company, with copies requested both in paper and electronically. Documents include:

1. Copies of the relevant powers of attorney
2. A certificate of ‘non-confusion’ in order to avoid ‘same as’ company names
3. National IDs/passports of founders/partners as well as attorneys
4. A certificate from the Register of Accountants and Auditors stating that the company auditor is entitled to review and approved budgets.
5. A duly completed investor identification form
6. Details of the company’s legal advisor
7. A copy of the lawyer’s bar association ID

In case that special legal approvals are required, official approvals from the appropriate bodies must also be submitted. If the company is intended to operate under the Free Zones System, the following documentation must also be submitted:

• For a Public Free Zone: The General Authority for Investments’ (GAFI) approval through the board of directors of the public free zone, in which the company is to be established.
• For Private Free Zone: the approval of the Council of Ministers.

Fees:

According to GAFI the total fees necessary for the incorporation of a new company are listed below. They include:

1. Bar Association endorsement fee: 50EGP + 0.01% of the company’s issued capital, maximum limit 25,000EGP.
2. Articles of incorporation notarization fee: 0.025% of the issued capital, maximum 1,000EGP
3. Registration of the company into the Commercial Register, fee: 63.25EGP
4. License to Operate fee, annual subscription of 0.002% of the company’s paid-up capital, 200EGP + maximum 2,000EGP
5. Registration with the Syndicate of Commercial Professions, if the company’s capital is less than 500,000EGP, the registration fee will come to 125EGP. If the company’s capital exceeds 500,000EGP, fees will come to 250EGP.
6. Incorporation fee calculated at 0.001% of the company’s issued capital, maximum 1,000EGP and minimum 100EGP.
7. A True Certified Copy of the Articles and Certificate of Incorporation, 600EGP per copy.
8. A Certificate of non-confusion of the company’s name, 114EGP.

Application:

When it comes to the application process there are two major avenues for application:

E-portal:

1. Sign up and create an account at http://www.gafi.gov.eg .
2. Choose the incorporation service, upload the required documents, and submit the application for processing.
3. Pay the fees using a credit card, and e-sign the documents.
4. All your company's documents will be sent to your GAFI's e-portal account.

Incorporation via the Investors Service Centre (ISC)

1. Company partners or authorised representatives are to visit one of the ISC centres and submit all the documentation outlined under ‘required documentation’. A dedicated ISC attorney will then process the documentation and input the information into GAFI’s e-System. Following this, the attorney will issue the company’s articles of incorporation and all the application forms required for the registration at the Commercial Registers, as well as for the issuance of tax cards and insurance numbers.
2. Following signing electronically, partners of their authorised representative will pay the fees in either cash or credit card.
3. Partners or an authorised representative will be directed to sign in order for the articles of incorporation to be notarised by the Real Estate Registration and Notarisation Office.
4. Following one business day, the company will receive its commercial registry, tax registration number, VAT registration number and insurance number, ready to commence business.

For more detailed information on this topic, please visit the following link: https://www.gafi.gov.eg/english/eServices/Pages/DepartmentService.aspx?…

Examples of Law Firms Specialising in Establishing New Businesses Youssry Saleh & Partners Al-Bedeawi & Partners Law Office LLP Sadany & Khalifa Law Firm Shura Law Firm