Deputy Minister of Planning and Economic Development participates in the Middle East and Africa Trade and Investment Forum in Paris

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, represented by Dr. Ahmed Kamali, Deputy Minister, and Dr. Heba Youssef, Director of the Country Program Follow-up Unit at the Ministry, participated in the Middle East and Africa Trade and Investment Forum, held under the umbrella of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development at the organization’s headquarters in Paris, under the title “Benefiting from the Region's African Continental Free Trade to stimulate resilient value chains and private investment."

 

 

 

The forum brought together representatives of the organization and development and trade organizations in the region, in the presence of representatives of the African Development Bank, the African Union, and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa with some countries in the Middle East and Africa, including Yemen, Morocco, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, and Mauritius.

 

From his side, Dr. Ahmed Kamali shed light on the country's program's strategic importance. He also stressed the importance of maximizing the OECD's expertise to establish policies that support integrated sustainable development. This will create a flexible economy capable of shocks. The Deputy Minister also clarified that the five pillars of the program follow national priorities and Egypt's Vision 2030. As part of the program's participatory design, all beneficiaries were engaged in identifying their preferences regarding each pillar. Furthermore, Dr. Kamali and Mr. Conde pointed out the importance of the coordination committee monitoring the program's performance. They also created a dialogue between all stakeholders to discuss plans.

 

 

 

 

 

The Manager of the Monitoring Unit of the Country Program at the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development Dr. Heba Youssed along with the Program’s Coordinator at the OECD Charlotte Goemans delivered a short presentation on the development of the projects that began implementation during the first year of the program (22 projects), their expected outcomes, Egypt’s representation in the organization for effective participation in the decision-making process, exchange of experience with member states, and the monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for the program through performance indicators and the electronic follow-up board.

 

Representatives of all departments of the OECD involved in the implementation of the country's program participated in this meeting, while on the Egyptian level all national stakeholders, represented by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Central Bank of Egypt, the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (NIGSD), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority – SMEDA and the National Council for Women,

 

Dr. Ahmed Kamali and Andreas Schaal are the Directors of OECD Global Relations and the OECD Sherpa to the G7, G20, and APE. They concluded the meeting by stressing the importance of departments' continued fruitful cooperation, and close coordination between the different departments of the OECD, and all the concerned national authorities participating in the project to achieve the desired results.

 

They also highlighted Egypt's pivotal role in the Middle East to transfer experience and best practices to other countries in the region.