The Ministry of Social Solidarity strengthens its partnerships with civil society to support economic empowerment

This comes within the framework of the strategic financial system for economic empowerment led by the Ministry of Social Solidarity, which contributes to expanding access to target groups, enhancing integration between financing tools and non-financial services, and supporting the transition from social protection to production and economic independence.

The workshop aims to expand the base of civil society institutions that can be cooperated with during the next stage, and to introduce the available financing opportunities and programs and the mechanisms for benefiting from them, in addition to clarifying the Fund’s objectives, the categories and economic activities it focuses on, and the work mechanisms it follows in designing, implementing and following up on economic empowerment programmes.

Engineer Engy Al-Yamani, Executive Director of the Rural and Environmental Industries Support Fund, reviewed the role played by the Fund as one of the executive arms of the Ministry of Social Solidarity in the field of economic empowerment. She also reviewed the general framework of the strategic financial system for economic empowerment, which aims to achieve integration between the various programs and tools of economic empowerment, develop mechanisms for reaching the target groups, and link financial services to non-financial services in a way that suits the needs and capabilities of each group.

She explained that the Fund works through an integrated system of interventions that are not limited to providing financing, but rather include capacity building, training and technical support, promoting financial inclusion and digital transformation, developing projects and products, linking beneficiaries to value chains and available economic opportunities, in addition to supporting access to markets through exhibitions, marketing platforms and other mechanisms that help projects continue, grow and compete.

The workshop addressed the programs and financing windows through which the Fund works, the target groups, and the mechanisms for selecting partner civil society institutions and beneficiaries, in addition to reviewing the work cycle, starting with studying and evaluating institutions, determining the geographical scope and target groups, all the way to implementing funds, following up on projects, and measuring their results and development impact.

The Fund’s methodology was also reviewed in directing financing according to the economic opportunities and comparative advantages of the targeted governorates and communities, and linking financing to productive activities, value chains, and marketing opportunities, which contributes to directing resources toward projects that are feasible, capable of growth, and sustainability, and maximizing the economic and social impact of financing.

She stressed the importance of the role played by civil society organizations as the Fund's main partner in reaching the target groups at the local level, noting that expanding the network of partnerships with serious and qualified institutions contributes to increasing the scope of access to beneficiaries, and ensuring that interventions and funding are directed according to the actual needs and opportunities within different communities.