9 hours ago
The First of its Kind Collaboration with Imperial College London in the Region - Economy
Ushering through a strategic partnership to drive global sustainability solutions, Mentors Gate Development, a leading consultancy group working on SME and innovative entrepreneurship development across Africa and the Middle East, have joined hands with Imperial College London (ICL), ranked 1st in the UK and Europe; 2nd in the world in QS World University Rankings 2025, to officially launch a groundbreaking Industrial Wastewater Treatment Program, powered by ICL's WICKED Acceleration Labs, marking a critical step in advancing Egypt's environmental, industrial and economic goals.
The initiative, unveiled during a high-level event in Cairo, aims to accelerate innovative, scalable solutions for industrial water treatment, aligning with Egypt's Vision 2030, UN Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the ongoing efforts for increased partnerships with the UK and EU countries towards creating viable opportunities for economic development in Egypt and the region.
At the heart of this program is a commitment to driving real-world, sustainable impact. Industrial wastewater treatment has emerged as a global and national priority, with challenges pertaining to cost, infrastructure, regulations. The initiative targets not only technical innovation but also practical deployment, ecosystem engagement, and investment readiness.
The launch event brought together a distinguished group of speakers on top of whom was Cristobal Garcia, Co-Founder of Wicked Acceleration Labs, Bassel Rahmy, MSMEDA Executive Director, Ambassador Magdy Amer, Former Egyptian Ambassador to China, FAO Communications Expert Rawya El Dabi, and ILO Project Manager Martin Ostenmeier. Respected guests included representatives of the UK Embassy in Egypt, the EU, as well as representatives from the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI), government entities, research institutions, and private sector leaders. Some of Mentors' Gates strategic partners have also joined the launch, most notably Orange Digital Center and Track 3 Consulting.
Key highlights of the multi-day launch-visit included site tours in Alexandria's industrial zones, discussions at the City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, and workshops that fostered dialogue between major players in Egypt's innovation ecosystem and lab representatives.
Wicked Acceleration Labs Co-Founder & Faculty at IMPERIAL Business School, Dr. Cristobal Garcia-Herrera said that "This collaboration represents the essence of what Wicked Acceleration Labs were created to do—connect top-tier research institutions with on-the-ground 'wicked' and complex challenges in emerging economies, to drive effective solutions by envisioning desirable futures and orchestrating stakeholders. It is also of additional value to carry out this initiative in Egypt, where a spirit of advancement, collaboration and innovation is clearly sensed, and we plan to take this partnership with our partner-elect, Mentors' Gate, as a launching point to forge new, pioneering partnerships in the Middle East".
Meanwhile, Dr. Mohamed El-Sery, Founder and CEO of Mentors' Gate Development, clarified that "Egypt is at a pivotal moment, and we believe this program can catalyze long-term change by merging innovation with industrial and environmental imperatives. It is a first of its kind initiative in the region, with one of the world's topmost academic entities on board, and it is an invaluable opportunity to move forward Egypt's sustainability plans".
This program builds on the success of the Wicked Accelerator's previous global efforts, most notably with Imperial College London's Zikomo Initiative in Zambia - where Mentors' Gate played a key a role in the initiative - significantly reducing milk spoilage through solar refrigeration technology and increasing farmers' profit by 30-60%.
The Egypt edition of Wicked Acceleration Labs seeks to replicate such impact by tackling Egypt's most pressing challenges and capitalize on increased call for sustainable, safety-ensuring and efficient practices, particularly as it comes on the heels of the UK and Egypt's announcement of a pledged $500 M fund towards Egypt's 'green growth' and decarbonization,
Mentors Gate, the lead organizer and sponsor of the initiative in Egypt, is a global force in SME acceleration and entrepreneurship. With operations in 41 countries and a robust network of over 47,000 trainees and 12,750 business clients, the organization is well-positioned to empower startups and scale-ups working on sustainable industrial solutions. Their initiatives and projects focus on addressing sustainability, and food-nexus challenges including decarbonization and innovation development.
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