On Thursday 23 October, the British Ambassador in Cairo, John Casson met up with a group of 40 young Egyptians studying English at the British Council in Cairo. Casson, who was hosted by Director British Council Egypt, Mark Stephens, spoke about how supporting Egyptian young people - through English language training and through providing them with skills for employability - is one of the UK’s top priorities in Egypt. Casson also threw open the floor to the young students themselves, encouraging them to ask him questions and tell him about their aspirations for the future of Egypt.
Casson said: “As I said when I first arrived in Egypt as ambassador, I want to hear from Egyptians themselves about the things that matter to them. That’s why I set up #HewarUKEgypt on my personal Twitter account @FCOJohnCasson. I find meetings like today's hugely exciting when I get the chance to listen to talented and ambitious young people talk about their aspirations - for themselves and for the future of Egypt. It’s clear to me that, like young people around the world, what they want is to live in a secure, stable, and open society. And they want the opportunity to build a better life for themselves and for their country.
“I hear that loud and clear. So it makes me very proud to visit the British Council today and see their work firsthand. The British Council is providing Egyptian young people with the skills they need to be compete in the jobs market and be successful. Last year alone, the British Council provided 16,000 Egyptian students with English language training and many more benefited from the British Council’s apprenticeship, business development, and entrepreneurship schemes.
“And I’m excited that this great tradition of sharing knowledge and expertise will continue. This year, the British Embassy and the British Council are jointly launching the Newton-Mosharafa fund. The Newton-Mosharafa fund will be a five-year investment of £20m GBP between the UK and Egypt that will build ever stronger links between our two countries in the fields of science, research, and education.”