Business Today Egypt (BT) July - August 2021

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ZED Club Launches Its New
Women’s Football Academy
ZED FC Club, one of Egypt’s top private clubs, announced today the inauguration of ZED’s
Women Football Academy, in partnership with “Empower Women Football Academy”. Through
this partnership, ZED FC Club aims to establish its first football team for women, develop highperformance
athletes, and spread the message that football is a game for women too. This
collaboration aligns with ZED FC’s strategy to introduce a variety of new sports and develop
high-level sports academies. The new cooperation falls in line with Egypt’s vision 2030 aiming
to promote sports as well as enhance youth participation in shaping the future of their country.
ZED Club chose Farida Salem’s “Empower” Football Academy to manage the new academy
to utilize its vast experience in identifying potential talents and following analytical training programs
that help boost the skills of female football players. Farida Salem, founder and director
of “Empower Football Academy”, is an inspirational former football player who has been coaching
for 12 years, with ambitious goals to dispel old beliefs about sport and laying the foundations
of a new generation of athletes which aligns with ZED’s strategy.
“The club is constantly keen to create an effective sports system by introducing various
unconventional sports and laying the groundwork for a new generation of top-level athletes,”
Ahmed Abdullah, the Head of the football sector at ZED club stated. “We are not only interested
in local championships, but also in preparing a new generation with worldwide standards capable
of competing on a global scale. Therefore, we have collaborated with Farida Salem who
is one of the most efficient women’s football coaches because of her experience in the sports
field and the value she can add to the ZED Women’s Football Academy,” he added.
Farida Salem started playing football at an early age and pursued her dream in Canada’s
Vancouver Island University where she received a BA in sports and physical education. Moreover,
she is the first Egyptian woman to play in the Abu Dhabi team.
“I am extremely delighted to cooperate with ZED to launch the New Women’s Football Academy,”
Farida Salem, the founder of “Empower” Women’s Football Academy and the head coach
at ZED Women’s Football Academy stated. “I coached hundreds of female footballers over the
last 12 years and I have seen the progress of many gifted young women with extraordinary
talents and tremendous skills through my work at Empower,” she added.
Registration for the ZED Academy is open to children aged 5 to 8 years old as well as juniors
aged 9 to 17 years old. Furthermore, the academy will hold professional tournaments for players
under the age of 17 and under the age of 19 in order to enhance the performance of female
talents until they achieve a professional level that allows them to join the first team of the ZED
women’s football club.
Tamweely Microfinance won “Fastest Growing Microfinance Company” awarded
by The Global Economics UK
Tamweely Microfinance has won The Global Economics Awards 2021
for “Fastest Growing Microfinance Company” and the announcement
was made on the Global Economics website. And Tamweely CEO, Ahmed
Khorched, has also been awarded “Most Emerging CEO in Microfinance”.
Over the last three years, Tamweely Microfinance has grown into a
viable non-banked financial institution serving over 141 thousand client
with a loan portfolio exceeding EGP 3.6 billion of which 46%
are women entrepreneurs and 79% reside in Upper Egypt.
Currently, Tamweely has over 2,000 employees across a
network of 97 branches in 15 governorates in Egypt and
with a strategy to cover all governorates within the next
few years.
The year 2020 was remarkable year as Tamweely has
witnessed growth in terms of clientele, loan portfolio and
branches. In 2020, 73 thousand clients benefited from the
services offered by Tamweely compared to 52 thousand
client in 2019 and this illustrates a growth of 41%. Tamweely’s
gross loan portfolio has grew by 53% in 2020,
booking EGP 906 million against EGP 593 million in 2019. Tamweely disbursed
67 thousand loan in 2020, an increase of 18% from 56 thousand in
2019. Number of branches has grown by 51% in 2020.
Furthermore, Tamweely has leveraged its expansive network to secure
key strategic partnerships with leading FinTech players that have positioned
Tamweely to provide exceptional tech-driven solutions to promote
financial inclusion.
Commenting on the win, Ahmed Khorched, Chief Executive Officer,
Tamweely Microfinance said, “We are honored for the recognition that has
been given to Tamweely Microfinance for its growth performance and it
is a testament to all the efforts that have been made by the employees
during the pandemic. We are constantly striving to enhance our portfolio
with diversified financial services and products that adapt to the needs of
various target micro-entrepreneurs and ensure a unique
client experience.”
Amr Abou El-Azm, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of
Tamweely, explained “these awards are testaments of the
success story of Tamweely in just a short time; therefore,
I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to
Ahmed Khorched who played a crucial role in our company’s
success and to all employees who significantly
contributed to the company’s competitive position in the
microfinance sector in Egypt.” Furthermore, Abul-Azm
expressed his aspirations to the continuation of the success
in the upcoming coming years and to become the leader of
microfinance sector in Egypt.
The Global Economics Limited is a UK based financial publication and
a bi-annual business magazine giving thoughtful insights into the financial
sectors on various industries across the world. One of their major highlights
is the prestigious country specific Annual Global Economics awards
program where the best performers in various financial sectors are identified
worldwide and honored.
www.BusinessTodayEgypt.com July-August 2021
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