Youth and poverty alleviation: Empowering the youth in Egypt

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the major long-term role that entrepreneurship could play in poverty alleviation and job creation in Egypt. This is done against a background of low deployment of entrepreneurship among Egyptian youth. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses desk research and qualitative analysis depending on industry experts’ interviews collected in Egypt. Findings – The poverty map issued in 2009 by the Ministry of Economic Development indicated that the number of poorest villages has reached 1141 and most of them are concentrated in rural areas of Upper Egypt. The official poverty alleviation measures / program and the efforts of the NGOs helped some of the poor in the short term. While the entrepreneurship education and training could give poor SMEs’ owners opportunities to break the poverty cycle to them as well as to others. Practical implications – As shown by the findings of the study there is an opportunity for growth for SMEs in many areas in Egypt. Educating and training entrepreneurs and other poor persons with potentials could open their eyes to opportunities around them and encourage them to improve their economic situation and maybe participate in job creation to others on the long-term. Originality/value – It highlights the shortcomings of the current poverty alleviation strategy in Egypt. It also highlights the need for youth empowerment as they represent the hope for Egypt.