Egypt’s Planning , Finance Ministries organize workshops to activate performance budget

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, represented by Dr. Jamil Helmy, Assistant Minister for Sustainable Development Plan Follow-up Affairs, held recently an interactive workshop for planning, monitoring, budgeting and strategic planning. 

The aforementioned workshop was held to train officials at the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and its affiliated entities.

The workshop witnessed the presence of Dr. Essam Khalifa, Permanent Undersecretary, and Engineer Walid Haqiqi, Head of the planning sector at the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.

Moreover, the workshop witnessed the presence of Muhammad Al-Sabki, Advisor to the Minister of Finance and Head of the Programs and Performance Unit.

H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said , Egypt’s Minister of Planning and Economic Development, highlighted the role of program budgeting and performance in improving the efficiency of public investment, by directing financial allocations to achieve specific goals and programs through clear and measurable performance indicators .

Meanwhile, Dr. Jamil Helmy, Assistant Minister for Sustainable Development Plan Follow-up Affairs reviewed the efforts of the Ministry of Planning in activating program and performance plans over the past years.

He further noted that the program and performance plans system has been automated, for the first time, and integrated into the requirements of the integrated system for preparing and following up on the investment plan for the fiscal year (23/2024).

Helmy pointed out that the executive programs and performance measurement indicators related to investment projects have been integrated for about 60% of the sub-awarding agencies funded from the state’s general budget.

Moreover, discussions were held with more than 600 planning, follow-up and budget officials in these entities.

The Assistant Minister of Planning reviewed the general framework for designing the executive programs and performance indicators of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, and the Ministry’s role in achieving the goals of Egypt’s Vision 2030.

This role includes improving the quality of life of citizens and improving their standard of living, social justice and equality, an integrated and sustainable environmental system, and governance and partnerships by strengthening regional and international cooperation.

Helmy stressed the need to achieve integration between the programs and projects of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Egypt’s Vision 2030, and the pillars of the water resources development and management strategy until 2050.

This management strategy include developing water resources, rationalizing water use, improving water quality, and creating the appropriate environment for integrated management of water resources.

Helmy highlighted the role of the Ministry of Irrigation in achieving environmental sustainability and the performance measurement indicators contained in the Environmental Sustainability Standards Manual, which was issued by the Ministry of Planning in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, which includes developing water resources, especially from non-traditional sources, disseminating sustainable practices and combating pollution of water resources.

Helmy stressed the importance of evidence-based planning, and the need to integrate environmental sustainability and gender standards into the plans and programs of all government agencies, in line with the state’s current directions.

He pointed out the necessity of moving from indicators of performance at the output level to indicators of measuring the strategic impact of developmental programs. 

It is noteworthy that the past period witnessed intense cooperation between the Ministry of Planning and Finance to activate the program budget and performance, as interactive workshops were organized with the Ministries of Culture and Supply and their affiliated entities and the Suez Canal Authority, from which more than 100 planning, follow-up and budget officials in these entities benefited.