Initiative of “Financial Inclusion and Banking Rights for People with Disabilities” at Mansoura University

Within the framework of the activities of the International Day for People with Disabilities, the Center of Services for People with Disabilities at Mansoura University organized the activities of the Central Bank of Egypt initiative entitled “Financial Inclusion and Banking Rights for People with Disabilities.” The events were hosted by the Faculty of Law considering the faculty’s support for students with various disabilities.

Under the patronage of Prof. Cherif Youssef Khater - President of Mansoura University and the leadership of Prof. Mohamed Attia - Vice President for Education and Student Affairs.

In the presence of Prof. Walid El-Shennawy - Dean of the Faculty of Law, Prof. Tamer Saleh, Vice Dean for Education and Student Affairs, the deans of faculties, and Vice Deans, Prof. Nevin Abdel Khalek, Director of the Center of Services for People with Disabilities, Dr. Sarah Zidan, Deputy Director of the Center, and Dr. Shaima Shaker, coordinator of the center at the Faculty of Law, and representatives of the Central Bank initiative.

About 250 students with various disabilities participated in the activities. The celebration was presented by Dr. Sarah Zidan and Ms. Ghada Atef, the media official for the Center of People with Disabilities at the university, Ms. Weam Abdel Mageed translated the activities in to Sign Language.

Prof. Walid El-Shenawy said that this activity reflects the interest of Mansoura University in general and the Faculty of Law in the rights of people with disabilities, in addition to the faculty’s readiness to support governmental, semi-governmental and civil institutions in providing support for them.

Prof. Tamer Saleh added that there is a major development in the university’s services provided to people with disabilities, which go beyond economic and legal rights and the rights of the fourth generation, which relate to the right for knowledge, information, and technology. Today, the university, in cooperation with the Central Bank, provides financial inclusion information and banking services for people with disabilities.

Prof. Nevin Abdel Khalek said that the Egyptian state pays great attention to people with special needs, caring for them, and supporting their rights, and the Central Bank’s initiative comes to support and facilitate the rights of people with disabilities, which is consistent with Egypt’s Vision 2030, through which it aims to train them on entrepreneurship and to know their banking rights and how to deal with banks as well. The initiative includes awareness of banking facilities and the various banking opportunities provided by the state to people with disabilities in implementation of the instructions of the Central Bank for financial inclusion for all segments of society. She also expressed her pleasure with the rehabilitation of the Sanhouri Auditorium at the Faculty of Law as the first for all persons with disabilities. She also extended thanks and appreciation to the Egyptian Export Development Bank for their support of the event.

Mr. Mohamed Mostafa, Executive Director of the Export Development Bank of Egypt, and Ms. Sarah Sayed, Director of the Bank’s Financial Affairs Sector, talked about the services and facilities that the Bank provides to people with disabilities.

The activities included lectures on financial inclusion, awareness of the new instructions for persons with disabilities issued by the Central Bank, and the issuance of a Meeza card and an electronic wallet for them, as well as learning about the various programs offered by banks to facilitate customers with disabilities’ access to banking services and products.