Egypt’s Ministry of Planning, Chicago Booth School of Business & Sawiris Foundation for Social Development launch the 2nd edition of the Executive Education Program at the University of Chicago.

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, in cooperation with the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, launched the second batch of the "Executive Education Program".

H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development who is also serving as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (NIGSD) participated virtually in the launch ceremony.

The launch ceremony witnessed the presence of Dr. Sherifa Sharif, Executive Director of the NIGSD along with businessman Nassef Sawiris.

During her virtual speech, Dr. Hala El-Said said that the Chicago Both Executive Education Program was designed for two weeks.

She further noted that the program aims to qualify innovative and prospective leaders who have the analytical framework necessary to raise the efficiency of their institutions.

El-Said stressed that the program provides both the public and private sectors with the skills necessary to improve leadership and develop their institutions to deal with the expectations of market changes.

The program, according to El-Said, is a learning journey that enhances skills and competencies, as well as sharing knowledge and exchanging best practices between sectors.

Besides facilitating communication, the program also allows participants to expand their horizons and enhance their visibility. It also gives them a better understanding of them and how to work with them.

El-Said added that the partnership with the Sawiris Foundation extends for a long time.

She further noted her participation in many leading initiatives, including special initiatives at Cairo University, as well as the scholarship program at the University of Chicago, the Enactus program, and the Egyptian laboratory to measure impact in cooperation with J-Pal and the American University in Cairo (AUC).

El-Said referred to the efforts of NIGSD in developing and providing practical and innovative training programs.

El-Said emphasized the partnership with major international educational institutions to work closely in developing and allocating programs for civil service employees, explaining that the goal is to raise skills and change their minds.

El-Said highlighted that these partnerships contributed to training about 45,000 civilian employees so far, and the training of more than 1,600 of them abroad in many international educational institutions including Kings College in London, Hertie School in Berlin, and the MBRSG - Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government and Missouri State University, in addition to Thunderbird School of Global Management.

El-Said stressed that the Egyptian government is making many efforts to improve the quality of life for Egyptian citizens by maximizing investment in human capabilities within the framework of sustainable development and by developing human capital characteristics.

For her part, Dr. Sherifa Sherif, Executive Director of NIGSD, said that the first batch was launched in January 2019, followed by the current batch in 2023. The third batch is expected to start soon.

Sherif explained that the program model is based on mixing the public and private sectors. This allows trainees to share the experiences they have had in various sectors. She stressed that it is the first program that involves the public and private sectors together.