New UfM grants to advance inclusive digital trade in the Southern Mediterranean
- UfM grant contributions will go to four projects supporting women entrepreneurs, SMEs, cooperatives and social economy actors across Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine and Tunisia.
- This announcement comes as development agencies and government representatives gathered in Barcelona for the 3rd Annual Meeting of UfM Development Actors to discuss how to work together more effectively and combine funding and expertise to turn shared regional priorities into practical initiatives with greater impact.
25 September 2026, Barcelona. The UfM has awarded four projects under its third Grant Scheme for the promotion of inclusive digital trade, mobilising over €1M in grant contributions to help businesses and entrepreneurs across the Southern Mediterranean make greater use of e-commerce and digital trade opportunities.
With the financial support of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ), and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the projects will strengthen digital, technical and managerial skills, improve access to online markets and support more inclusive participation in the digital economy, with particular attention to women entrepreneurs.
The four awarded projects are:
- We-train (Women in E-commerce: A peer support project providing Training, Assistance, Innovation and Networking), led by the René Moawad Foundation to support women entrepreneurs across Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine and Tunisia.
- Empowering Women-Led Enterprises for Digital Transformation and e-commerce in Palestine, led by Palestine Polytechnic University;
- E-Fair (Promotion of an inclusive digital economic ecosystem in the Southern Mediterranean region), led by Cooperazione per lo Sviluppo dei Paesi Emergenti (COSPE) to promote fair-trade and social and solidarity economy enterprises across Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine and Tunisia; and
- ExportEase Hub (Empowering Women Entrepreneurs for Global Expansion), led by Star for Life Jerusalem, supporting women entrepreneurs in Palestine.
“Digital transformation must translate into real economic opportunities for people and businesses across the Mediterranean. These grants show how we can move from regional priorities to concrete action, equipping women entrepreneurs, SMEs and cooperatives with the skills and tools they need to access new markets, grow their businesses and create jobs. By bringing together governments, development partners and the private sector, the UfM can help build stronger entrepreneurial ecosystems and a more connected, competitive and inclusive regional economy,” said UfM Deputy Secretary General for Economic Development and Employment Meltem Büyükkarakaş.
The new UfM grant scheme recipients were unveiled following the 3rd Annual Meeting of UfM Development Actors at the UfM headquarters in Barcelona. Bringing together representatives of national development agencies and corresponding government departments, the meeting aimed to strengthen coordination among development actors, facilitate peer learning and knowledge exchange, and advance collective efforts towards more impactful and sustainable regional cooperation within the framework of the UfM. This third edition reaffirmed the UfM’s role as a trusted platform for dialogue and partnership, helping to translate shared policy priorities into concrete actions that deliver tangible benefits for the people of the Euro-Mediterranean region.
The UfM Grant Scheme provides a concrete example of this approach, combining regional priorities with development partners’ financing and the expertise of organisations working directly with entrepreneurs and communities across the Southern Mediterranean. Previous editions have fostered sustainable approaches to job creation, skill acquisition and entrepreneurship in in the Southern Mediterranean.
