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Expanding Opportunities for Egypt’s Women- and Youth-Led MSMEs Through Digital Trade
Across Egypt, many micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs)—especially those led by women and young entrepreneurs—are looking for ways to grow their businesses beyond local markets. However, barriers such as limited knowledge of banking services, lack of digital infrastructure, and the high cost of online trade make this difficult.
A new collaboration between the Better Than Cash Alliance (the Alliance), the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), and partners such as the African Union Women, Gender and Youth Directorate and AUDA-NEPAD is working to address persistent gaps in digital trade and financial inclusion. This initiative builds on the CBE’s ongoing efforts and reinforces its strong commitment to advancing financial inclusion and tackling structural barriers in the MSME sector. These efforts include mandating all banks in Egypt to allocate 25% of their lending portfolios to MSMEs; simplifying the process of opening low-cost bank accounts for unregistered businesses; supporting the development of banking products with appropriate fees and commissions; and launching the NilePreneurs initiative, which aims to improve financial awareness and literacy among MSMEs by enabling financial institutions to provide non-financial and advisory services to startups and small businesses. Additionally, the rollout of digital payment infrastructure—such as QR codes and point-of-sale (POS) machines—aims to promote business formalization and enhance access to finance.
At the center of these efforts is the goal of making digital trade and financial inclusion more accessible to those who have historically been excluded from formal economic systems.
The recently adopted AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade is a transformative step forward. It aims to create a more enabling environment for inclusive cross-border e-commerce across Africa—making it easier, faster, and more secure for businesses to sell their goods and services beyond national borders. For Egyptian MSMEs, particularly those led by women and youth, this opens new regional opportunities. To ground this work in local experience, the Alliance and the AfCFTA convened a consultation with Egyptian women- and youth-led MSMEs, hosted by the Egyptian Businessmen’s Association. Participants shared practical challenges: difficulty opening bank accounts, lack of affordable payment tools, and limited awareness of how to engage in digital trade.
© Better Than Cash Alliance The Alliance and the AfCFTA convened a consultation with Egyptian women- and youth-led MSMEs, hosted by the Egyptian Businessmen’s Association.
Local banks are stepping up, recognizing the potential of Egypt’s vibrant MSME sector. Many are now offering accessible trade finance and digital services tailored to small business owners who are beginning to formalize their operations and access global markets. Dr. Nevine Nakhla, Managing Director of El Gondy Trading, is a leading voice shaping these efforts. A long-time advocate for MSMEs and their role in AfCFTA trade, she is spearheading initiatives to boost digital visibility for small businesses. Her company—the first AfCFTA Trading Company in Egypt—is developing a digital catalog to showcase Egyptian MSME products, with the longer-term goal of creating a full e-commerce platform to enable seamless cross-border transactions under the AfCFTA framework.
“Digital trade is a practical step forward for MSMEs that want to grow,” she says. “It allows us to connect with more customers, build credibility, and navigate new markets across Africa.”
Building on these initial actions, the Alliance and the AfCFTA, in collaboration with the CBE, plan to develop more responsible access-to-finance solutions tailored to MSME needs. A unified e-commerce platform under the AfCFTA is also in development, aimed at helping small businesses expand their reach through digital trade while reducing the administrative burden of operating across borders.
These efforts are still in progress, but the direction is clear: create a system where MSMEs—especially those led by women and youth—can access the tools, services, and markets they need to grow sustainably.
With continued collaboration and policy momentum, Egypt’s MSMEs are finding a more connected place in Africa’s emerging digital trade landscape.
