I am involved in the planning for a Wikimedia Egypt chapters proposal, basically, a chapter is a very good idea to support local implementation of strategy, however, a major problem in chapter creation is the difference in volunteer work perception between the west and the Arab countries. It is not practical for a chapter to self-fund itself, since it is usually composed of young people (e.g students and young professionals) who do not have the capacity for even a small membership fee. And acquiring funding from other organizations is difficult, as local organizations would usually come with expectations of having a say in the chapter policies, while in most Arab countries, acquiring foreign funds is usually difficult and under heavy government regulations.
Enlisting the help of international businesses who have interest and/or presence in the area is definitely a good idea
Government reaction towards Wikipedia range from unfavorable to cautious to helpful and differ from one country to the next, we can enlist help from governments who are enthusiastic. --Shipmaster05:37, 29 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]