Small & Micro Enterprise Project:

ABA entered into a seven-year cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Agency for International Development in 1989.  USAID was to provide financial and technical services to ABA, while ABA implements a program to offer financing to the existing businesses in Alexandria, which are not able to access credit through the system.ABA-SME project disbursed about 465,000 loans during 2005 with a value of LE 947,000,000 with 30 % growth rate during 2006 . SME works through 34 branches in Alexandria, Kafr El Sheikh, Beheira, Matrout and Monoufeyia  with about 725 employee. SME website:  www.aba-sme.com

Alexandria Center for International Arbitration:

Established in June, 2001.  The Alexandria Center for International Arbitration is an Affiliate of the Cairo Regional Center for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA)

The Center aims at settling trade disputes between businessmen through fair operations of expeditious and economical procedures.  This constitutes an entirely integral dispute-resolution mechanism which employs various effective processes of arbitration.  It includes also Alternative Dispute Resolution techniques (ADR) such as conciliation, mediation and technical expertise.

Moubarak-Kohl Program for Dual Education

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In the framework of the Mubarak-Kohl Initiative of October 1991, the German Government emphasized the willingness to assist the Egyptian Government in its efforts to restructure its technical education and training system towards a labor market-oriented one, by introducing a cooperative (dual) system of technical education and vocational training.  The project partners cooperated in introducing a “Dual System of Training” in Alexandria, beginning with training occupations of mechanics, electronics and ready made garments.  Partners in this project are  the Egyptian  Ministry of Education, German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the Alexandria Business Association (ABA).ABA’s role in this project is having the RUDS office (Regional Unit for Dual System) located in its premises, to be responsible for looking after students affairs in the factories, marketing the program and several other tasks.  Presently the program covers the following sectors: mechanics, electronics, ready made garments, logistics, office administration, refrigeration and carpentry .

Feeding the Poor Project

This project started in September 1999 where the “ Zaka and Charity committee” disburses dry family meals to the poor listed in the social solidarity division where they cover all areas of Alexandria starting from Amreya to Abu Qir.Members of the Charity Committee distribute those meals under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Affairs.The total meals distributed on monthly basis are 800 meals, twice a week every Sunday and Wednesday.

Towards Self-Employment Project

     In March 2000, ABA started through the Zaka and Charity Committee “Towards Self Employment Project”.  The project targets the poorest and most vulnerable sectors of the society by providing a grant of 200 Egyptian Pounds disbursed on two equal installments.  This project is based on the belief that development must begin with people’s own ideas, and aims at building their skills and utilizing their unemployed time for production approach. This project is executed on a volunteer basis through the Small and Micro Enterprise Program SME.

Orphans Sponsorship Project

The project has been inaugurated during the month of May 2001.The Alexandria Business Association represented by its Zaka & Charity Committee has undertaken and coordinated an agreement with El-Radwan Islamic welfare Association located in Sidi Bishr Alexandria to cooperate in the orphan’s sponsorship project.  The social specialists of El-Radwan Association  study orphans’ cases and report the numbers of orphans’ beneficiaries of such a sponsor. El-Radwan Association is sponsoring 113 orphan.  The main purpose of this project is to achieve a specific social standard for this orphan by providing a monthly sponsorship fee in addition to other periodical incentives during  feasts and special events. They also provide medical care until they successfully end their educational phase or obtain a certificate that can provide a sustainable living condition.