Planning Minister reviews the Egyptian experience in economic reform at Harvard University

H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said Minister of Planning and Economic Development participated in the Ministerial Leadership Forum at Harvard University, held in Boston, USA, from April 24 to 27, 2022 in cooperation with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and with the participation of ministers from different countries of the world.

Dr. Hala El-Said reviewed, during a panel discussion, the challenges facing the ministers of the economy in light of the unprecedented crises facing governments and; features of the Egyptian experience in economic reform.

El-Said referred to the Egyptian state's efforts to achieve sustainable development goals through Egypt's Vision 2030, stressing that the state continues to complete the successful implementation of the National Program for Economic and Social Reform, which it started in 2016.

El-Said explained that the second phase of the economic reform program includes structural reform measures for some sectors, foremost of which is the energy sector, and diversification of the production structure by stimulating sectors that achieve high added value.
 El-Said pointed out that the program also included taking many legislative and institutional reforms by issuing a package of laws and legislation, all of which aim to simplify the procedures for setting up projects and encourage the private sector to participate in the implementation of projects.

Dr. Hala El-Saidalso addressed during the discussions; The initiatives that the Egyptian state is working on to support and develop the health sector, noting that the volume of public spending on the health sector amounted to EGP 270 billion during the period (18/19-20/21) with a growth rate of 70% compared to the previous three years.


 This resulted in the implementation of many initiatives, including the eradication of Hepatitis C; As 50 million citizens were examined and 1.2 million injured were treated, the initiative for early detection of hearing loss and impairment for 2 million children, and the initiative to detect malnutrition diseases among students; Where 24.8 million students were examined and 449 thousand students were treated.
 Moreover, El-Said highlighted the Women, Mother, and Fetal Health Initiative, through which 1.1 million pregnant women were examined, the initiative to eliminate waiting lists, through which one million patients were treated, and the initiative to detect chronic diseases and kidney disease, which included the examination of 25 million citizens. This is in addition to treatment at the state’s expense, through which about 14.3 million citizens were treated, the initiative to support women’s health, which included the examination of 23.2 million women, and the 100 million health initiative, through which about 60 million citizens were examined.
The Minister of Planning and Economic Development also reviewed; The social protection programs carried out by the Egyptian state, stressing that the development vision for social care and protection services crystallizes around the establishment of a solid, cohesive, and productive Egyptian society that achieves social justice and economic development.

El-Said shed light on the national project for the development of the Egyptian family, which aims to manage the population issue from a comprehensive development perspective that depends primarily on improving demographic characteristics such as education, health, job opportunities, economic empowerment, and culture, in addition to controlling population growth.


It is noteworthy that the forum is an opportunity for participating ministers to review their roles and contributions to governments, and to discuss different ideas and visions aimed at achieving a balance between the financial needs and the urgent requirements of citizens and investing in economic recovery and future growth.