Al Ahram Beverages Debuts Egypt’s First Certified Female Forklift Drivers in Bold Diversity Push

Editorial Team

Last updated 23-12-2025

4 min

Al Ahram Beverages Company launched Makanek, Egypt's first certified female forklift drivers initiative.

This move is part of ABC’s broader Diversity, Equity and Inclusion agenda.

Women's roles have more than doubled in the company's supply chain since 2023.

ABC supports women in STEM fields and partners with organisations to back women entrepreneurs.

The initiative could shift norms in traditionally male-dominated industries within Egypt.

Al Ahram Beverages Company has rolled out a new initiative called Makanek, and it’s already turning heads for one particular reason: the company now has Egypt’s first officially certified female forklift drivers working at its Sharkia plant. For anyone who’s spent time around factories or logistics hubs, that’s quite something — these roles have long been treated as off-limits to women, almost by default.

From what’s been shared, this push sits within ABC’s wider Diversity, Equity and Inclusion agenda. The company says it has more than doubled the number of women in supply chain roles since 2023, which, if you’ve ever visited a plant floor in the region, is no small feat. I remember chatting with a group of young founders at an Arageek event who joked that convincing their uncles that women could work around heavy equipment was “a bit of a faff”. So seeing a big, established company go all in like this feels spot on.

The two forklift drivers earned their credentials through the Heavy Equipment Training Center in 10th of Ramadan City, which follows the rigorous standards of the Central Agency for Reconstruction under the Ministry of Housing. ABC covered the training, certification and the whole package of support to get them fully ready for the job. And believe it or not… forklift certification isn’t just about driving; the safety modules alone can be tough going.

They’re joining a growing pool of women already working across maintenance planning, lab analysis, quality roles, operations management and even plant leadership. ABC’s head office and its four plants appear to be building a steady network of women in STEM-focused positions, which, as someone who’s followed entrepreneurship and industry trends for years, I reckon could nudge other companies in Egypt to step up as well. On the flip side, change like this doesn’t happen overnight, and it’ll take consistency to keep the momentum going.

Nikolay Mladenov, the company’s Managing Director, said the Makanek initiative is about “redefining possibilities”, adding that women now make up more than half of ABC’s management team. He described the forklift milestone as a sign of the company’s commitment to empowering women across technical fields. Meanwhile, Nashwa Sabry, ABC’s People and Culture Director, noted that empowerment has long been part of the company’s DNA and pointed out that efforts like Makanek helped ABC earn Top Employer recognition for three years running.

What’s interesting is that ABC isn’t keeping its efforts limited to its own workforce. Through its partnership with Orange Corners Egypt, the company has supported more than 250 entrepreneurs and 140 startups over the past two years — half of them women — especially those working on environmental, tech or agricultural solutions. That’s the sort of ecosystem approach we often talk about at Arageek when discussing how to keep the region’s startup scene moving forward, even if things can get a bit messy… well, I mean, entrepreneruship usually is.

ABC also collaborates with the Gozour Foundation via its Salil programme, which focuses on supporting women-led small businesses in underserved communities and offering training to boost employability. All of this ties back to the same mission: opening more doors for women to enter and thrive in technical and economic fields, whether inside the organisation or far beyond it.

If the company maintains this pace, it could end up shaping a new norm in sectors that traditionally haven’t welcomed women. And honestly, I’m chuffed to bits to see more stories like this coming out of Egypt — even if there’s still plenty of work ahead.

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