Cairo – June 13th 2009

As part of the Barclays "You can B" global initiative, launched in April 2009 across 11 countries for £1.5mln to train students on business and projects management skills, and in cooperation with Injaz Egypt (member of Global Junior Achievement – JA), Barclays Bank – Egypt kicked off the "Innovation Camp" today with more than 250 male and female youths from various government schools.

The objective of the camp is built on providing recreational and educational activities through which the participants would learn several entrepreneurship skills and develop their team building skills. Activities were designed to considerably contribute to support initiative spirit and market skills of the participants.

"This camp is very significant in the initiative since it mainly depends on practical methods rather than solely educational, which boosts the benefits provided to the youth," commented Mr. Omar Al Sayeh, Chairman of Barclays – Egypt.

During the camp, the youth were divided into teams to compete against each other through a set of educational activities and recreational games. According to the results, every team obtains a set of materials to help them put together a special model, a state–of–the–art technique focusing on specialized educational skills to foster market transaction skills. The technique relies on simulation between theatrical models and reality of business market.

"Today's youth are clients, managers, employers, and future leaders. Therefore, the development of business skills and capabilities of youth is an essential pivot in maintaining successful and stable businesses in the future. This role should be assumed by the private sector in the upcoming period to enhance and build future generations," Al Sayeh added.

Many officials of Barclays as well as Injaz representatives took part in and volunteered in all activities and announced the three winning teams, who were rewarded medals.

Barclays is committed in the importance of working through successful partnerships with reputable institutions and organizations, such as Injaz, which is an educational organization focusing on bridging the gap between the educational system and the private sector. Injaz was established in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, multi–national entities, and national companies to create a powerful pioneering generation capable of embarking into commercial projects.

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Barclays Bank – Egypt in brief:

Barclays Bank Egypt began operations in 1864 but was nationalized in 1956. It re–entered Egypt about 30 years ago in a joint venture with Banque du Caire. In March 2004, Barclays acquired 100% ownership and control of the business. Through horizontal and vertical expansion plan, number of bank employees exceeded 2046 to serve clients across the country through a network of 105 ATMs and 65 branches.

(Above figures are reported as at financial performance report ending March 2009)