The Social Entrepreneur, By Ahmed Namatalla

Tuesday, June 7, 2005

Most recently, Mansour has agreed to serve as chairman of the committee that will select Egypt?s social entrepreneur of the year. The competition, sponsored by the Schwab Foundation and Business Today Egypt, will offer the winner the chance to participate in the Schwab Foundation?s Global Social Entrepreneurship Summit this fall as well as next year?s World Economic Forum, among other incentives.

Mansour says he accepted the chairmanship of the Egyptian search because ?it is important to give people who work in silence the opportunity to be recognized and, moreover, to encourage others to come forward so that these successful ideas can be replicated and that new innovations can be encouraged.

?What we?re doing is more than recognizing just one person: We?re starting a whole new process that will help the nation?s culture of social entrepreneurship grow and encourage recognition of successes nationwide.?

The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship was founded in 1998 by Klaus and Hilde Schwab to be the voice of social innovation at the World Economic Forum, the SFSE?s sister foundation.

While Mansour says social entrepreneurism is growing in Egypt along with the rest of the NGO community, ?there has not yet been enough change; there needs to be more recognition that these sectors are an essential element of progress on all levels. Important in this is that we work to change the mentality of people, to bring to their attention how vital this sector is and how absolutely necessary its success is for the nation?s future.?
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Source: Business Today Egypt