{
"authors": [
"Maya Chehade",
"Nur Arafeh",
"Soraya Rahem",
"Duaa Abuswar",
"Qobool A- Absi",
"Marie Bassi"
],
"type": "event",
"centerAffiliationAll": "",
"centers": [
"Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
],
"englishNewsletterAll": "",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center",
"programAffiliation": "",
"programs": [],
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"regions": [
"Egypt"
],
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}
Arab Diaspora Entrepreneurs in Egypt
Wed, October 8th, 2025
Virtual
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While Egypt has made progress in improving its business environment, enterprises continue to face an intricate bureaucracy, a reliance on personal connections to get things done, and a large informal sector. Arab diaspora businesses operating in Egypt, including Syrian, Sudanese, Yemeni, and Libyan businesses, navigate these same systemic hurdles while contending with added vulnerabilities tied to acquiring residence permits and visas. Smaller ventures are particularly disadvantaged, in contrast to larger, well-connected firms that are better able to secure stable work conditions and growth opportunities. These dynamics highlight the urgent need for reforms that reduce red tape, ensure fair competition, and encourage greater formalization.
What does the business landscape look like for Arab diaspora entrepreneurs in Egypt? What types of capital do these entrepreneurs draw on to start their businesses, and how do these forms of capital shape their strategies for success in the Egyptian environment? What lessons do their experiences offer for the broader business environment?
To explore these questions and more, the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center is hosting a virtual panel discussion in collaboration with the Center for Legal, Economic, and Social Studies and Documentation (CEDEJ Khartoum and CEDEJ Cairo) on Wednesday, October 8, at 4:00 PM EEST (UTC+3).
The panel will mark the publication of a Carnegie compendium that examines the experiences of various Arab diaspora business communities established in Egypt. It will feature the main authors of the compendium: Qobool Al Absi, a human rights defender specializing in women’s issues, refugee rights, and community peacebuilding, Duaa Aboswar, an affiliated researcher at the Center for Economic, Legal, and Social Studies and Documentation Khartoum (CEDEJ Khartoum), Marie Bassi, the coordinator of the Center for Economic, Legal, and Social Studies and Documentation (CEDEJ) Khartoum, Maya Chehade, an affiliated researcher at the Center for International Studies (CERI) at Sciences Po Paris and at the Center for Economic, Legal, and Social Studies and Documentation (CEDEJ) in Cairo, and Soraya Rahem, an affiliated researcher at the Center for Economic, Legal, and Social Studies and Documentation (CEDEJ) in Cairo.
The panel will be held in English and moderated by Nur Arafeh, a fellow at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, who co-edited the compendium with Yezid Sayigh, a senior fellow at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut.
Please register to attend the event through the Zoom link provided here: https://cnrs.zoom.us/meeting/register/c_k0VKmZRaKWHP_kCN_law
For more information, please contact Najwa Yassine at najwa.yassine@carnegie-mec.org.
Carnegie India does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
Event Speakers
Maya Chehade
Independent consultant, advising and designing policies and projects for international organizations, such as the ILO, and regional NGOs, such as the Amahoro Coalition.
Maya Chehade holds a PhD in political science, is an independent consultant, and an affiliated researcher at the Center for International Studies (CERI) at Sciences Po Paris and at the Center for Economic, Legal, and Social Studies and Documentation (CEDEJ) in Cairo.
Nur Arafeh
Fellow, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Nur Arafeh is a fellow at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, where she is co-leading the program on the political economy of the MENA region. Her research focuses on the political economy of reconstruction, private sector development, business-state relations, food insecurity, and peacebuilding strategies.
Soraya Rahem
Affiliated researcher at the Center for Economic, Legal, and Social Studies and Documentation (CEDEJ) in Cairo.
Soraya Rahem is a PhD Candidate in Geopolitics at Cités, TERritoires, Environnement et Sociétés (CITERES), University of Tours (France), researcher in the Equipe Monde Arabe et Méditerranée (EMAM), and affiliated to the Center for Economic, Legal, and Social Studies and Documentation (CEDEJ) in Cairo.
Duaa Abuswar
Associate Researcher at the Center for Economic, Legal, and Social Studies and Documentation (CEDEJ) in Khartoum, Sudan.
Duaa Abuswar is a Khartoum University graduate in anthropology and sociology and an associate researcher at the Center for Economic, Legal, and Social Studies and Documentation (CEDEJ) in Khartoum, Sudan.
Qobool A- Absi
Human rights defender specializing in women’s issues, refugee rights, and community peacebuilding.
Qobool Al-Absi is Yemeni and a human rights defender specializing in women’s issues, refugee rights, and community peacebuilding. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in French Literature from Sana’a University and a Higher Diploma in Business AdministraGon and Human Resource Development from Cairo, 2012.
Marie Bassi
Coordinator of the Center for Economic, Legal, and Social Studies and Documentation (CEDEJ) Khartoum.
Marie Bassi is the coordinator of the Center for Economic, Legal, and Social Studies and Documentation (CEDEJ) in Khartoum, Sudan, and an associate professor of political science at the University Côte d’Azur in Nice, France.