Egyptian expats in US call for annual meeting with Sisi

By Yomna Yasser On May 10, 2017

The president of the Egyptian-American Association for Entrepreneurship, Nasser Saber, called on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to organise an annual conference with Egyptian expatriates to discuss economic, political and social issues and ways in which Egyptians living abroad can contribute to supporting the Egyptian economy, Al-Shorouk newspaper reported.

Saber called on Sisi also to involve young expatriates in the monthly conferences he holds with youth.

During the fourth annual conference organized by the association, on Monday, Saber suggested supporting the Egyptian economy under the title “Yes we can”. He asked the government to find simplified mechanisms that would allow Egyptian expatriates to set up joint stock companies that invest in the project of the “1.5 million acres” and in agricultural, industrial and tourism projects. Saber pointed out that Egyptian expatriates contribution to the economy is currently limited to buying land and real estate in Egypt. He suggested expanding their areas of contribution, saying that remittances of Egyptian expatriates could increase from $18 billion to $28 billion by providing Egyptians with facilities for investments and money transfers, he added.

Among the highlights of the conference was the launch of an initiative by the second generation of young Egyptian expatriates to support public hospitals in impoverished areas of Egypt. “Each group of young people can help raise the level of a certain hospital or a certain unit within a hospital,” said initiative coordinator Norhan Saber.

Providing health care to low-income families and poor children can make a big difference in the social and economic track of Egyptian families, she said, pointing to the establishment of a fund by the Egyptian community in the US for the initiative.

Meanwhile, Samir Bassiouni, a US tax judge and co-founder of the Egyptian-American Association for Entrepreneurship, said the association will soon launch an interactive portal, in both Arabic and English, to acquaint Egyptians with the latest developments in the field of entrepreneurship.

Source: Egypt independent