“Today, youthinkgreen is one of the leading organizations nationally and regionally in the area of supporting sustainability transition and climate action within the Egyptian ecosystems,” says Abdelrahman Fahmy, Managing Partner at youthinkgreen Egypt.
A social enterprise, youthinkgreen Egypt aims to foster sustainable development among local communities, by offering sustainability and entrepreneurship programs, capacity-building, event management, and awareness campaigns, in addition to hands-on educational and empowerment programs.
Originally founded in Germany in 2009 by a German teacher named Helmut Spering, youthinkgreen was established to create a global youth movement focused on sustainable development. After a group of undergraduate students from Cairo University discovered the initiative, they decided to bring the idea to Egypt, and in 2013, they started working as a youth-led initiative under the umbrella of Cairo University.
In 2018, youthinkgreen Egypt was established as an independent social enterprise.
With support from public and private organizations such as the African Development Bank, Raya Holding for Financial investments, and Goethe Institute, youthinkgreen Egypt has maintained a diversified portfolio for itself in the sustainability sector, executing projects in universities, and assisting startups and entrepreneurs in the cleantech sector.
“Our direct beneficiaries exceeded 10,000 individuals, with the majority being youth, and 50 percent females. We also benefited more than 150 startups and small enterprises over the years,” Fahmy tells Egyptian Streets. “Our aim is to strengthen the environment and cleantech awareness, industry, and ecosystem in Egypt.”
Stemming from a strong belief in the importance of educating and empowering local and regional communities to lead sustainable transformation, youthinkgreen Egypt aims at being the pioneering youth-led organization fostering sustainable development in Egypt and the MENA region.
According to Fahmy, decision-makers, investors, private sector, and local communities are now envisioning sustainable development and climate action as a necessity not a luxury.
Fahmy highlights that the past few years witnessed a change in the way environmental protection and sustainable development is perceived, and this is evident in national strategies, developmental projects, and technology startups that were launched to support the undeniable need for serious climate action.
The youth-empowered business is currently in discussions with local and global stakeholders to ensure effective engagement in the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP27) to generate support and resources to the African cleantech ecosystem. “We are focusing on engaging youth and civil society organizations within COP27 and its side events.”
Meanwhile, youthinkgreen Egypt will also be taking part in the Conference of Youth (COY17).
As part of their future plans, youthinkgreen is working on a new service line that combines entertainment with environmental protection. Additionally, the youth-led social enterprise is also working on establishing an eco-friendly innovation hub that would act as a coworking space or a community for eco-innovation in Egypt.
“youthinkgreen strongly believes in the potential of Egypt leading the sustainable development endeavor in the MENA region. With all its natural and human resources, the nation can be one of the front lines of sustainable development worldwide,” says Fahmy.
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