Orascom Construction
Onsi Sawiris Scholarship Program

Orascom Construction (OC) traces its roots back to 1950 when Eng. Onsi Sawiris first founded a construction company with a few friends in Upper Egypt. By digging waterways and paving roads, he built his business into one of Egypt's largest general contractors. In 1961, the business was nationalized under President Nasser and later became known as the El Nasr Civil Works Company. Not content to be an employee in his own company, Eng. Sawiris left for Libya where he continued his construction career. In 1976, he returned to Egypt and founded Orascom as a general contracting and trading company with five employees. By the early 1990s, Eng. Sawiris had established Orascom as a leading private sector contractor by working in partnership with international companies pursuing projects in Egypt. Today Orascom Construction continues to blend international technical know-how with local resources to undertake even larger, more complex, and demanding projects.

OC seeks to promote excellence and achievement. OC launched the Onsi Sawiris Program in the year 2000 to invest company resources in educational programs to improve the communities in which it works. Through the Onsi Sawiris Scholarship program, OC provides full tuition scholarships for Egyptian undergraduate students seeking to pursue their Bachelor’s degree in fields that will enhance the economic prosperity of Egypt at prestigious universities in the United States.

The Onsi Sawiris Scholarships will be awarded based merit, need and character as demonstrated through academic excellence, extracurricular activities, and entrepreneurial initiative. The scholarships include full tuition, a living allowance, travel and health insurance. Scholarship recipients will also be given the option of an internship position within the company.