‘Decent Life’ Presidential initiative aims to improve the lives of more than 26M women: Planning Minister

Egypt’s Minister of Planning, H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said said that during the past 8 years, nearly half of the allocated budget for medium and small enterprises was directed at women in Upper Egypt.

During her speech at the Egyptian women's celebration attended by H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his spouse, El-Said said that the number of financially supported women by the Ministry's different services has more than doubled.

She also noted that the presidential initiative ‘Haya Karima’ [Decent life] contributed to improving the lives of 8 million women only in its first phase.

“Up to 26 million lives of Egyptian women are targeted to be improved during the initiative,” El-Said said

Egypt’s minister of planning added that over the past year, 14,000 women have been trained in all governorates to build and enhance their capabilities in different fields.

The Egyptian Minister of Planning said that the general index of women’s representation on boards of directors had doubled from 9% to 20% in 2020.

She expected that ‘if the increase continues at the same rate, we will ensure that the percentage reaches 30% during 2026 instead of 2030'. This was previously planned as part of Egypt’s 2030 strategy.

According to El-Said, Egypt’s Ministry of Planning has contributed to the rehabilitation and training of 85 institutions, as women managed to win half of the first prizes in all categories during the training process.

During the celebration ceremony, President El-Sisi and his spouse Intisar El-Sisi stood for a photo-op with several role models of Egyptian women.

This came during the 2023 ceremony to honor Egyptian women and ideal mothers, held at the Manara International Conference Center in New Cairo.

El-Sisi granted certificates of appreciation and the Order of Virtue to ideal mothers and some respectable ladies.

The ceremony was also attended by Senate Speaker Abdel Wahab Abdel Razek, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli, Planning, and Economic Development Minister Dr. Hala El-Said, Social Solidarity Minister Nevine El Kabbaj, Head of the National Council for Women Maya Morsi, and some senior state officials.