Small entrepreneurs

Students turned businessmen? Dena Rashed witnessed the transformation

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Clockwise from top: Jasmine Accessories winning second place; displaying the necklaces they made; selling their products; the British International School at their booth

In contrast to the classic quietude of the rest of the seven-star hotel, the corridor leading up to the ballroom where I was headed, and the ballroom itself, were filled with teenage chatter. Arriving, I encountered a series of booths, and at each one stood a group of students, aged 14-20, showing the project they had contributed to a competition intended to "discover" the future businessmen and leaders of the country. Organised by Injaz, a non-profit organisation established in 1999 and Aramex, the plan was to mimic the business cycle in its entirety, learning how to create, run and eventually liquidate a company. "We took courses," explains Habiba Mohamed, one of 15 British International School (BIS) students who established Choco Republic, which sold chocolate creatively to other students. With 200 LE25 shares, at the start, they gathered a capital of LE5,000: "we did market research, with questionnaires, and we had four departments: marketing, finance, production and human resources." Silvia, Habiba's colleague, described the process of striking a deal with the Passionelle, one of Egypt's best known chocolatiers, to supply the merchandise where the students wrap it to suit Valentine's, Christmas and the school's International Night: 20 per cent of the profit went to a charity organisation supported by the school, while 80 per cent went back to the "investors" -- teachers, parents and other students.

Even before winning first prize, the BIS group were satisfied with their efforts: profits met their expectations and their advertisement proved competent; most of all, they were proud of the skills they acquired. They were grateful for those experts -- from BP, CitiBank, ExxonMobil, GSF, HSBC, Intel, MasterCard, Mobinil and Shell, as well as Save the Children and UNDP -- who, through Injaz, which is run by all of the above, provided the mentoring over 12 months. Testimonies indicate that, their age notwithstanding, the students displayed maturity, professionalism and commitment. Especially noted were their presentational skills, a feature that was particularly evident at the booth of Jasmine Accessories, the Suzanne Mubarak Educational Centre contingent, made up of students from various state schools who, aiming to "please the girls and make them look their best", not only conducted feasibility studies and researched all the raw materials they would use, but toured the malls to check the latest "competition". "Professionally" dressed in black trousers and white shirt, Mohamed Abdeen, 14, described the project with remarkable eloquence: "we were one spirit, we purged all selfishness early on." The most important thing, Abdeen elaborated, was the best quality at the lowest price. The items, all handmade, were indeed beautiful; some were sold at the display. "We started with only LE501 capital," Abdeen went on, "but we made the most profit: 125 per cent." Injaz programme manager Dahlia Helaly thought the Jasmine Accessories group were an exception considering how young they were compared to other competitors: "but they proved capable and competed well."

An older group from the engineering and business faculties of Cairo University established Hayatna Tours, offering students fun educational trips, and they came third. Said Hosni, 20, cherished the experience: "we managed to start with LE1,190 from 328 investors at LE5 a share." He recounted a trip to a petrochemical factory on the outskirts of Alexandria, which ended with a trip to the city. Munchies, for their part, from Misr Language School, had the rather less ambitious aim of buying refreshments from four different suppliers and reselling them at school. "We had some organisational problems," says their spokesman, "and since our school is so far out, sometimes the food arrives late. The worst was when students failed to show up when there was a sandstorm, and we lost LE500. Still, we enjoyed planning and competing." MasterTournaments, also from Misr Language School, aimed to organise soccer tournaments on the school grounds, but with LE4,500 in capital, they have yet to hold a single competition: "the dates we set ended up conflicting with the school schedule. But the main problem we had was finding sponsors. Some investors refused to meet us once they found out we were students, others said no."

Injaz executive director Dina El-Mofti says that, despite all, the project managed to develop the skills required to enter the private sector: "It is not only about encouraging them, but guiding them through all the stages and enabling them to think for themselves." Mobinil CEO Alex Shalaby, also head of the board at Injaz, agrees: "it's our social responsibility to nurture future leaders. According to one World Bank study, the Arab world should generate 100 million jobs by 2020, and developing the skills of the young is the way to prepare them for the job market, too." Social responsibility was also the key word for Samer Gharaiba, Aramex regional director in Egypt and North Africa: "we've found a common goal with Injaz -- investing in local human resources, the students. Although we are optimistic, we share the same concerns about the rising employment rates in the region." Following the announcement of the winners, the BIS group were told they were to compete regionally this month, with the overall winner attending the World Economic Forum and meeting not only Queen Rania, Injaz's regional ambassador, but interested businessmen and leaders. But even those who failed to win following problems they could not resolve were happy with their efforts, gaining exposure and a clearer idea of what they want to study in the future: marketing and business were popular choices.