UNIDO / Egypt
CAIRO, 25 June 2025 – The Ministry of Environment, represented by the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), has officially launched a new project to boost Egypt’s leadership in cleantech innovation for climate action and support national climate and energy transition efforts. The initiative is funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
The project is aligned with Egypt’s National Climate Change Strategy 2050 and its updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, which aim to enhance climate resilience and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while supporting sustainable economic growth.
“This project comes at a critical time to translate our climate goals into tangible results through innovation, entrepreneurship, and inclusive industrial development,” said Dr. Ali Abu Senna, CEO of EEAA. “It will strengthen Egypt’s capacity to scale up cleantech solutions and accelerate our transition toward a greener future.”
With support from the GCF, the project seeks to address key ecosystem challenges by empowering national institutions, startups, and ecosystem enablers to deliver impactful, market-ready climate solutions. It will support the development of a cleantech policy and regulatory framework, facilitate public-private partnerships, and provide targeted technical assistance to early-stage innovators and MSMEs
“The Egypt cleantech readiness project marks a transformative step in unlocking the country’s cleantech potential by empowering private sector to provide and scale up cleantech solutions on commercial basis. It provides targeted support to early-stage startups, MSMEs, innovators with business acceleration support as well as strengthening national cleantech ecosystem and establishing an innovative green finance mechanism to scale climate solutions – contributing towards Egypt’s energy transition and climate goals” said Manasa Suresh, Associate Industrial Development Expert and Project Manager
In addition, the project will enhance capacity for green entrepreneurship through tailored training, accelerator support, and improved access to climate finance and investment. It also aims to build the foundations for a national cleantech ecosystem mapping and monitoring system, and foster collaboration between public institutions, academia, industry actors, and development partners.
“Innovation is a cornerstone of sustainable industrial development,” said Patrick Gilabert, UNIDO Representative and Head of the Regional Hub in Egypt. “This project strengthens the enabling environment for cleantech in Egypt, creates new opportunities for green jobs, and reinforces Egypt’s role in driving regional climate innovation.”
The initiative responds to several barriers identified in previous assessments, including limited coordination among ecosystem players, weak access to investment and technical support for cleantech startups, and lack of tailored policies to stimulate green innovation and deployment.
Led by EEAA and implemented by UNIDO in close coordination with national and local stakeholders, the project reinforces Egypt’s role as a regional leader in climate innovation and industrial sustainability.
UNIDO is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes inclusive and sustainable industrial development. Operating globally, it supports governments and industries to implement innovative, environmentally responsible solutions that advance economic competitiveness and climate goals. Learn more at: www.unido.org , https://compass.unido.org/projects/170146
For more information, please contact:
Name, Surname: Manasa Suresh
Title: Associate Industrial Development Expert and Project Manager
Email address: m.suresh@unido.org