“Femme Francophone Entrepreneure 2018” (FFE) was launched by AUF Middle East and Berytech, in collaboration with L’Orient-Le Jour, and Le Commerce Du Levant, under the patronage of the President of the Council of Ministers His Excellency Mr. Saad Hariri, in the presence of the two community partners LLWB and Lebtivity on May 16, 2018 in Berytech, Beirut. This year’s edition is sponsored by SGBL.
A networking brunch was held for the occasion bringing together professionals, activists and journalists working to empower the role of women in the economy.
Launched in 2012, the FFE competition in its 7th edition aims at supporting two francophone women entrepreneurs in creating and growing their businesses by providing them with 20,000 euros granted by the AUF and business support and incubation granted by Berytech.
The Launch of the 7th Edition
In his opening speech, Ramy BOUJAWDEH, Deputy General Manager of Berytech, emphasized that “with AUF, the Berytech team wants to push women entrepreneurs to create innovative companies that go beyond the traditional framework. FFE plays a great role by offering training and incubation to the winners.”
For his part, AUF Middle East Regional Director Hervé SABOURIN said that “the success of FFE is not only thanks to the symbolic significance of this competition but thanks to the fact that it dedicates our collective commitment to the promotion of entrepreneurship and innovation, and that it also highlights the commitment of women to creativity in all its forms. Finally, it also celebrates the liveliness and modernity of our Francophone environment.”
Michel HELOU, Deputy Executive Director at L’Orient-Le Jour recalled that “Orient-Le Jour has always been a forerunner in terms of women’s rights, their freedoms and their place in the world of business. Our group counted, very early on, many women journalists and leaders in its ranks. Sustainable development is also at the center of our values and our concerns; both through our daily coverage and collaborations with specific projects.”
Philippe DUBOIS, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of SGBL, was delighted by the “commitment to this project, which is fully in line with the values that we defend in particular in what we consider to be our responsibility in society. This project has three components: first, to develop entrepreneurship in Lebanon, a sector in which SGBL is active by supporting the creation of start-ups; second, our commitment to support diversity and the role of women entrepreneurs in the Lebanese economy and in the company; and finally the promotion of the Francophonie. SGBL is a permanent partner of the French-speaking initiatives in the country.”
The speeches were followed by a presentation of the contest by Nathalie BITAR, project manager at the AUF. Soraya HAMDAN and Marie-José DAOUD (Labneh & Facts), Thérèse KEYROUZ (YallaBus) and Stéphanie HANNA (Essmak), winners of the previous editions, also talked about their winning experience.
Calendar of the Competition
The competition will take place in 4 stages:
- Phase 1 – Online Application: Deposit of a pre-application file. Deadline: June 20th, 2018.
- Phase 2 – Training: 4 training days open to preselected candidates in July 2018: Mondays 2, 9, 23 & 30 July 2018.
- Phase 3 – Final Online Submission: Submitting the complete file with a business plan before 16 August 2018.
- Final pitch: A pre-selection will be made by the AUF Middle East Regional Directorate, Berytech, Orient-le Jour, Le Commerce du Levant and SGBL. Winning projects will be chosen after a public pitching session at the end of September 2018.
Information
Additional information can be obtained from:
Nathalie BITAR, Agence universitaire de la francophonie, La Direction régionale Moyen-Orient de l’AUF
T + 961 1 420 270
E nathalie.bitar@auf.org
Joanna ABI ABDALLAH, Business Support Department, Berytech
T+ 961 1 612 500 extension 1125
E jabiabdallah@berytech.org
