Orascom Empire: Onsi Sawiris, Where it All Began

Get To Know
By Amwal Al Ghad English
Egyptian business icon Onsi Sawiris

Onsi Sawiris (1930-2021) has started his own small contracting firm based in Assiut, Upper Egypt, and expanded to open another office in Cairo. In 1961, the business was nationalized and Eng. Onsi left for Libya, where he resumed his construction career. In 1976, he returned to Egypt and founded Orascom, a leading private sector contractor working in partnership with international companies pursuing projects in Egypt.
He diversified the business with the assistance of his sons. The Orascom conglomerate has evolved into three major groups: Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH),  Orascom for Hotels and Development (OHD), and Orascom Construction Industries (OCI).  Eng. Sawiris serves as the Chair of OCI, the Egyptian Cement Company (ECC), Orascom Trading Company, and Orascom Technology Systems. He is Honorary Chair and member of the board of directors of MobiNil, and member of the board of directors of OTH and OHD. He also serves as Chair of the board of directors for AIG Insurance Company, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in Cairo, and the Egyptian-Scandinavian Business Association in Egypt.
He was estimated to be worth approximatively $2.9 billion according to Forbes in 2011.

Education
Onsi holds a BSc in Engineering from Cairo University. He was born in 1930 and is an Egyptian citizen.

Sawiris Foundation For Social Development
He is Advisor to the Board in Sawiris Foundation For Social Development.
The Sawiris Foundation was founded on the belief that development is only sustainable when its beneficiaries are equal partners in the process. We aspire to be a recognized pioneer in the provision of innovative and sustainable development initiatives, promoting increased empowerment of, and participation by, the people of Egypt.
The Sawiris Foundation’s mission is to contribute to Egypt’s development, create sustainable job opportunities, and empower citizens to build productive lives that realize their full potential.
The foundation supports initiatives that encourage job creation through training, education and access to microcredit. We also enhance efforts to improve health and further the endeavors of local communities to improve infrastructure and gain access to basic services — two important prerequisites for higher productivity and the increased empowerment of citizens.
The Sawiris Foundation’s portfolio mix has expanded over the years in line with its mission and vision and in response to market and community needs. Today, the Foundation invests in six distinct areas of development that, together, work to realize its vision of “empowering people to delve into a more productive life that realizes their full potential”. These are:

  • Training for Employment, to meet the need for a skilled workforce and open up opportunities for employment;
  • Community Development, to improve living conditions and access to modern educational facilities;
  • Health, to foster greater well being and, in turn, productivity;
  • Micro-Credit, to promote self employment and enterprise development;
  • Literary Awards, to revitalize literature and promote talent and creativity; and
  • Scholarships, to give outstanding students the opportunity to pursue quality education, locally and internationally.


Sawiris Cultural Award
Each year since 2005, the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development has presented awards for excellence to Egyptian authors, screen writers and playwrights with the aim of activating the literary movement in Egypt, encouraging the artistic creativity of its writers and improving the chances of the emergence of new talents. The competition places great emphasis on developing Egyptian new authors and promoting indigenous literature. It is also dedicated to providing a forum for the screenwriters to display their talents in a bid to support the development and growth of the Egyptian film industry. The newly-added category of best playwriting aims to help playwrights to get their work out into the theatre world.
The Sawiris Cultural Awards competition is a service of the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development established to recognize excellence in Egyptian writers’ published and unpublished works while providing fair, objective, and constructive judgment for all entrants.” But while the competition is steadfast in its philosophy, it remains fluid regarding writers needs, and every year we improve and refine our processes and requirements.
The foundation presents awards of cash and recognition plaques to winners in the categories of novels, collections of short stories, screenplays and playwriting. The competition goes through a lengthy process that starts in mid June and ends in January. The winning submissions are selected by an independent judging committee consisting of well-known writers and literary experts. The winners are announced in a big ceremony held at the Cairo Opera House in January of each year. You can follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SawirisCulturalAward
The award board of trustees includes Mr. Essam EL-Maghraby – Film Director, Producer & Screenwriter, Dr. Gaber Asfour, Dr. Zahi Hawass – former minister of state for antiquities, Dr. Ismail Serageldin – Director, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Mona Zulficar, EFG-Hermes Board Member and  Salama Ahmed Salama Chief of Editorial Board at Al-Shorouk newspaper.

Awards
Onsi has been awarded an honorary Doctoral Degree in recognition of his contribution to business and philanthropy.
In 2008, Mr. Sawiris was made Commander in the Order of the Crown by His Majesty King Albert II, King of Belgium, and has held L’Order de Leopold since 1998. Also in 2008, he was awarded the Swedish Royal Order of the Polar Star in the presence of HRH Princess Victoria of Sweden.
Orascom Construction Industries OCI:
Onsi was the founder and president of Orascom Onsi Sawiris & Co, the original family partnership involved in trading and contracting. Mr. Sawiris was named as the Chairman of Orascom Construction Industries upon its incorporation in 1998. He is also Chairman of Orascom Trading Co and serves on the Board of Directors for Orascom Telecom Holding, Orascom Hotels and Developments and Orascom Technology Systems.

More References:

  • Sawiris Foundation For Social Development Website
  • Forbes
  • Wikipedia.org
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