Mehdia: The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on many global challenges but has also led to identification of opportunities for development. How do you see the way forward? 

Absolutely, it is as if the world was waiting for a major event to spur us into action on important global issues, be it our health systems, social welfare, the governance and flexibility of institutions, climate change or the way we do business. As we are living through COVID and experiencing both losses and gains, I think each one of us has somehow reflected on the crisis and drawn conclusions. I personally think that it starts with the individual responsibility to self-organize and try to put things into perspectives. As to what matches each person’s set of skills and expertise, I think it is vital to focus our energy on what is useful, get creative to find new solutions and most importantly take   steps in the right direction. Only then can we reach desirable collective outcomes. 

Mehdia: What motivated you to participate in the COVID-19 conversation and encourage young leaders to do the same? 

The Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at the Wharton School with its long standing experience in Ideas for Action (I4A) was very proactive in launching this new initiative to help respond to COVID-19 in Africa. I co-founded the I4A Egypt Club, together with my friend and colleague Nermeen Shehata, Associate Professor of Accounting at the American University in Cairo (AUC), to encourage young professionals and entrepreneurs to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  I have always been passionate about advancing development in Egypt and I am a strong believer in the energy and abilities of the younger generation. Even with limited resources, they can achieve great impact with their motivated engagement, innovative ideas and technological savviness. I don’t think there is a better time to emphasize the important role of youth in addressing the very diverse development challenges we face. I am thrilled when I see young people taking responsibility for their futures, the future of their countries and the future of the planet. 

Mehdia: What do you find unique about the “Building Capacity to Combat COVID-19 in Africa” initiative?

The initiative by the Zicklin Center at the Wharton School is special in so many ways. It taps into the creativity of students and young entrepreneurs and empowers them to offer innovative ideas for an effective private and public response to the pandemic in African countries including MENA. Over the past 7 years, I4A has accumulated substantial experience in engaging with Generation Z and  thus speaks a language that our youth can understand and act upon. The areas of impact selected for the COVID Africa initiative are: policy changes; startups; technology; and community based initiatives, topics that are of paramount relevance to the current challenges, not only in Africa but worldwide.The initiative also stands out because of its aim to help build capacity for good governance and health care as well as support ESG entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the COVID Africa initiative is about quality rather than quantity. It has a strong capacity building and knowledge exchange component that offers participants active support and mentorship to enhance their ideas, connects them with experts having years of business, policymaking or development experience – which is crucial to pass on the experience of older generations to the youth – and promotes their work to attract potential strategic partners and investors. 

Mehdia: How did you benefit from your previous engagement with I4A in Egypt and MENA?

The work of I4A Egypt Club has made my engagement in the COVID conversation more efficient. In I4A, we are collaborating with a network of like-minded organizations and individuals from universities, youth NGOs and the private sector that are interested in the field of innovation and sustainable development in Egypt and the MENA region including the UAE, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia. Leveraging the strength of partner institutions in spreading the word, providing mentorship, expert and accelerator’s support is pivotal to the COVID Africa initiative.  I would actually like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to I4A collaborators in Egypt over the last 2 years, particularly the School of Business of the American University in Cairo and its various constituents namely the John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy and Civic Engagement, and the Venture Lab; Yomken Crowdsolving Platform; the World Bank office in Cairo; the World Youth Forum (WYF); United Nations Population Fund (UNFP); and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Mehdia: What do you aspire to do next in the COVID-19 Africa initiative?

I would like to support participants in realizing their promising ideas to combat COVID and becoming better equipped to handle future disasters, especially within the MENA countries. At the country level, I look forward to pitching the Africa COVID initiative to public officials/ entities in Egypt so that it can be hosted, supported and implemented at a large-scale level. Great efforts have already been deployed by the Egyptian government, the private sector and different NGOs to protect people from COVID-19 and I think the Africa COVID initiative will complement such efforts to fight the pandemic and adapt to the new normal. It can also foster deeper cooperation between the public and private sector as it will become inevitable for the government and corporations to work together in order to face the multitude of challenges our country is facing. Ultimately, my involvement in 14A will help me in my broader career aspirations to professionalize and facilitate public-private cooperation to advance a development agenda that is inclusive of youth and women.