Egypt’s Planning Minister, World Bank's Regional Director for Human Development discuss future cooperation

H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, met recently with Ms. Keiko Miwa, the Regional Director of Human Development at the World Bank, and the Bank's work team.

The meeting discussed ways to deepen the World Bank's dialogue on human development and future cooperation. The meeting was attended by Dr. Ahmed Kamali, Deputy Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Mr. Kamal Nasr, Assistant Minister for Technical Office Affairs, and Hazem Khairat, Director of the International Cooperation Office at the Ministry.

At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Hala El-Said stressed the importance of continuing cooperation and support between the World Bank, the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, and Egypt, in light of recent trends in economic activity on a global scale.On the social protection measures taken by Egypt, El-Said pointed to the Egyptian government’s launch of a solidarity and dignity program for cash support, which supports the neediest citizens in Egypt, as well as its importance in relieving families suffering from difficult living conditions.
El-Said confirmed that the program's beneficiaries have so far reached 3.8 million families, at EGP 19 billion.El-Said added that there is a presidential directive to increase families by 4.1 million in the coming years, bringing the cost accordingly to EGP 21 billion.


El-Said explained that the government announced this month; Increasing the number of beneficiaries of "Takaful and Karama" pensions from 4.1 million families to more than 5 million families, which means that between 900,000 to 1 million new families will join the program in a total cost of about EGP 5.5 billion annually.El-Said added that given the high priority of social protection on the Egyptian state’s agenda, the Takaful and Karama Program and the many programs that emerged as a result of their database have made a tangible difference in the lives of Egypt’s most vulnerable citizens.El-Said added that about $7 billion, equivalent to EGP 121 billion, was allocated to this program in the past eight years, with a growth rate of 591% compared to the previous eight years.This contributed to an increase in the number of beneficiaries from 1.7 million families, or 6.4 million citizens, in 2014 to 4.1 million families, or 17 million citizens, in 2022.El-Said referred to the "Decent Life" initiative, explaining that it aims to improve the quality of life in the poorest rural communities within the framework of the sustainable development strategy: Egypt's Vision 2030.The initiative aims to transform more than 4,500 Egyptian villages into sustainable rural communities, adding that climate change has become a top priority worldwide.On the national project for the development of the Egyptian family, El-Said explained that the project aims to fully manage the demographic challenge in Egypt from a developmental perspective while seeking primarily to improve the characteristics of the population.El-Said added that the program is formulating a set of policies that focus primarily on women's economic empowerment, enhancing the efficiency of reproductive health services, raising awareness, and digitizing systems to reach the target groups.El-Said pointed to the launch of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, in a fruitful partnership with J-PAL, the Egyptian Impact Measurement Laboratory, which aims to enhance the effectiveness of poverty reduction policies in Egypt through careful evaluation of promising and innovative government programs.