The Minister of Planning and Economic Development witnesses the 16th annual celebration of the Citadel Foundation for Scholarships

Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, held the 16th annual celebration of the Citadel Foundation for Scholarships, which included the announcement of the winners of the Foundation’s grants for the year 2022/2023, some government officials, business leaders, diplomatic envoys, as well as members of non-governmental organizations and academic bodies.

El-Said said that the active role played by the Citadel Foundation for Scholarships embodies a tangible contribution to the upgrading of the educational system, and the strengthening of the enormous potential enjoyed by the Egyptian youth in various fields.

El-Said added that the Foundation offers scholarships to Egypt's promising youth who wish to complete their academic careers and obtain master's and doctoral degrees from the most prestigious international universities.


El-Said added that the initiatives of the Citadel Foundation are consistent with the Egyptian state's deep belief in the importance of the role that private sector companies should play in providing a role model in adopting, implementing, and disseminating environmental and social best practices.

El-Said stressed that the state attaches great importance to the social responsibility of private companies, and seeks to encourage them and consolidate their leading role in community development.


El-Said pointed to the state's endeavor to achieve harmony between the development projects it is implementing in all areas of economic and social development and the efforts of the private sector and civil society in this field.


El-Said added that the scholarship program of the Citadel Foundation, and its aim of providing opportunities for outstanding young people to study in the best universities in Egypt and abroad, is consistent with the state's interest in education, expansion of investment in people, and qualifying young people for the labor market and leadership.

El-Said added that the state has worked to increase public investments allocated to various fields of human development during the previous eight years (14/2015, 21/2022), noting that more than 1.88 trillion pounds were directed from the public budget, with a growth rate of 187%, compared to the eight The preceding years (06/2007 - 13/2014).

El-Said also pointed out that the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development has launched several training programs, most notably the Master of Governmental Business Administration "ESLSCA", from which about 1,100 employees in various ministries and affiliated agencies will graduate, including about 575 holders of a master's degree in government business administration.


El-Said added that the ministry is working to rehabilitate young cadres and build capacities through the Rowad 2030 project, which aims to encourage entrepreneurship, promote a culture of self-employment, motivate young people to be creative and innovate, and establish projects that provide job opportunities for them and other promising and distinguished Egyptian youth.


El-Said added that the Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt's Vision 2030 targeted education as a common goal among the axes in the economic dimension, the social dimension, and the environmental dimension.
El-Said explained that the state is working to advance the education sector through a comprehensive strategy to develop education, whether general or technical, to improve the quality of the educational system in line with global systems.



It is worth noting that the ceremony witnessed the announcement of the names of the sixteenth batch of winners of the Citadel Foundation grants for scholarships, which were provided to outstanding Egyptian students who wish to complete their scientific careers in the most prestigious international universities, bringing the total number of grants granted to about 200 scholarships since the foundation’s inception.