Magdy Wahba is being inducted posthumously as an ICSB Fellow in honor of a lifetime devoted to building entrepreneurship ecosystems, transforming education, and empowering generations of young people across Egypt and the wider region. From 1995 onward, he played a foundational role in designing and launching some of the country’s most impactful entrepreneurship development programs, working with partners such as AFPA-France, MSMEDA, SHELL LiveWIRE, MEDNET EU, and the Egypt Labour Pool Project. His work consistently expanded opportunities for entrepreneurs, reshaped institutional frameworks, and strengthened national capacity for enterprise development. His contributions were not only technical—they were deeply human, rooted in a belief that entrepreneurship can unlock dignity, agency, and possibility for all.
During his decade with the International Labour Organization (2008–2018), Magdy became one of the driving forces behind a suite of global entrepreneurship education tools that remain widely used today. Working closely with the ILO-SEED Department in Geneva, he helped develop KAB, SIYB, ESAB, SYWRB, and “Start Your Social Business,” tools that continue to empower artisans, agribusiness owners, youth, and social entrepreneurs around the world