Egyptian graduates of the world's best schools, organised for Egypt.
t20 began in 2014 with a request from the Presidency and a room full of people who had studied abroad and wanted to work for their country. It has been a network, a think tank and a volunteer corps ever since.
2014. A White Book and a ministry.
The initiative was called for by the President's office: connect with Egyptian graduates of top business schools and engage them in the economic reform programme the government was planning. The objective was to renew the pool of talent involved in planning for the future of Egypt.
A meeting was held between Egyptian graduates of top-tier global universities and representatives of the President's office and the Egyptian government. It produced the White Book, a database of Egyptian graduates of top-tier global universities with a committed passion to work with the government.
Planning is the first step of any work. From August 2014, a team of around 20 members supported the Ministry of Planning pro bono, assessing projects and companies and reporting to H.E. Dr. Ashraf El Araby, then Minister, and Assistant Minister Eng. Mostafa Ghaly. Their support was essential to the success of the initiative.
The Presidency, then everyone else.
On 6 May 2015 the group had the honour of meeting H.E. President Abdelfattah El Sisi. After presenting t20, the discussion turned to the areas of reform where members could support Egypt's economy. Meetings with the Prime Minister, ministers and senior government officials followed.
t20 has since operated as a community of registered members living in Egypt, in the region and abroad. Our members are the backbone of the association: a diverse set of disciplines, with international standards of competency.
For Egypt. من أجل مصر
It states the heart of what keeps us going. We are driven by bringing our extended global expertise, skills and networks back into our country: supporting and contributing to reform and development initiatives in Egypt, initiating partnerships of our own, and being effective players on the national, regional and international platforms of development, in alignment with national and international SDGs.
We believe Egypt's potential is abundant and requires the best minds, thought leaders and visionaries to fulfil it.
Vision
Capitalise on the wealth of our members' capabilities, expertise and networks for the greater benefit of national, regional and international reform initiatives, through innovative partnership models, with the objective of creating sustainable impact in line with the government's reform strategies and within the context of national and international SDGs.
Mission
Create the best possible experience for our members in order to facilitate optimum contributions to Egypt's reform, with a focus on economic, business and management aspects.
Who we are, in four sentences.
t20 is a high-profile network of Egyptian C-level executives, business leaders, entrepreneurs, senior government officials and investors across investment, strategy, leadership, education, oil and gas, entrepreneurship, ICT, BPO, state-owned enterprises, biochemistry, trade, industry, mining and finance.
t20 believes there is a national imperative to participate in improving the economic conditions of Egypt.
t20 embraces the need for change and believes competent leadership is always critical to the success of Egypt's development.
t20 has a unique combination of talent with practical skills, a proven track record of expertise and success, intellectual capability and influential multi-sector relationships, to be a leading voice in the transformation of Egypt.
Six commitments.
- Support our members through knowledge sharing, enhanced networking and business matchmaking.
- Collaborate and partner with key national, regional and international actors to achieve significant impact on the development of Egypt, with a focus on the economic, business and management sectors.
- Continuously grow our network of affiliated partners, sponsors, funding bodies, supporters and stakeholders at the national, regional and international levels.
- Provide capacity building, consulting and mentoring for strategic national organisations and initiatives.
- Sustain a t20 ecosystem that leads on Egypt's voice of transformation, contributing to international frameworks such as the SDGs and their national cascading.
- Generate new-age events with innovative content formulas and critical insight into evidence-informed policy, business best practice, policy research, knowledge management and innovation, and identify opportunities for collaboration among policy research organisations, funders and other relevant actors.
Twelve years, in brief.
- 2014
Founded
Initiative called for by the President's office. The White Book. From August, around 20 members volunteer full time at the Ministry of Planning.
- 2015
The Presidency and the EEDC
Meeting with H.E. President El Sisi on 6 May. Feasibility studies for the Ministry of Transport presented at the Egypt Economic Development Conference in Sharm El Sheikh. Innovation in Government conference. The first t20 MBA Day and scholarship programme.
- 2017
Import substitution
Members' discussion on import substitution, November 2017.
- 2018
Markets, money and health
Blockchain with the chairman of the Egyptian Exchange. The IMF's resident representative on Egypt's reform programme. An oil and gas panel with JP Morgan, the Ministry of Finance and APEX. A meeting at MCIT. Invest in Healthcare 2018.
- 2019
Health, AI and start-ups
One Million Free Medical Consultations launched with Telecom Egypt and Altibbi. A fireside chat on angel investment with AUC Angels. AI: The Way Forward with the advisor to the Minister of Communications. The t20 Start-up Studio. An e-commerce roundtable on Egypt's digital readiness.
- 2021
t20 Awards
A start-up roadshow and awards for the top tech and non-tech companies founded by Egyptians, chosen by a vote of the membership.
- 2023
Confluence and a masterclass
Episode I of the Confluence Series with the Institute of National Planning, on AI and regulation. The t20 Talk with Jonathan Klein, co-founder of Getty Images and chairman of Jumia Group.
- 2024
Ten years on
The annual Ramadan iftar, held in March, a decade after the founding.
- 2026
t20 Events
A weekly gathering series rotating across Center, West and East Cairo, hosted on Luma. No agenda, no speakers, no program.
t20 Egypt is a civil foundation (مؤسسة أهلية) registered under Egyptian non-profit law and supervised by the Ministry of Social Solidarity.