Ministry of Planning Holds Workshop on “Including Egypt in Trade in Value Added (TiVA) Databases

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development held a workshop for the project “Including Egypt in Trade in Value Added (TiVA) Databases” as part of Egypt’s national program activities in collaboration with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The event featured Dr. Heba Youssef, Director of the National Program Monitoring Unit at the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, and Dr. Nermeen Aboul-Ata, Advisor to the Minister of Trade and Industry and National Coordinator for Euro-Mediterranean Industrial Cooperation.

In her opening remarks, Dr. Heba Youssef emphasized that the workshop is a crucial outcome of Project 1.7 of Egypt’s national program with the OECD. The project aims to integrate Egypt into the Trade in Value Added database, which seeks to enhance the integration of the Egyptian economy into regional and global value chains by providing clear insights into the value added to exports and imports of goods and services.

Dr. Youssef added that the project supports the competitiveness of the Egyptian economy by identifying high-value-added sectors and industries that significantly contribute to job creation. It also provides statistics on emissions embodied in Egyptian exports and imports, aiding the formulation of policies to reduce emissions and increase the market access of low-emission Egyptian exports. Additionally, it aims to build and enhance the statistical capabilities of national agencies to develop evidence-based trade policies.

Concluding her speech, Dr. Youssef highlighted the importance of the workshop in disseminating results and fostering constructive dialogue with data producers, users, and all relevant stakeholders on how to utilize these results in evidence-based policy making.

Dr. Nermeen Aboul-Ata presented the Ministry of Trade and Industry’s vision, the strategic pillars of the project, and the alignment of the national program with the second phase of structural reforms and Egypt’s Vision 2030. She also discussed the ministry’s strategic directions, particularly within the ongoing industrial development and trade enhancement strategy.

Dr. Aboul-Ata reviewed some of the project’s key outcomes, including Egypt’s integration into the TiVA database, and referred to the technical report on Egypt’s results, which is being finalized in cooperation with the OECD and relevant stakeholders. She stressed the significance of Egypt’s integration into global and regional value chains, citing its substantial impact on investment, competitiveness, trade, market access, economic development, and risk mitigation.

She also highlighted the need for important policies and measures to further Egypt’s integration into global and regional value chains, emphasizing green transformation in line with European Union environmental standards and policies to enhance productivity in the industrial sector.

The OECD team gave a presentation providing an overview of Project 1.7 and discussed relevant indicators, including those related to basic database metrics, labor statistics, and trade emissions. They explained how to use global input-output tables for deeper analysis of integration into regional and global value chains.

The workshop aimed to present preliminary results on Egypt’s inclusion in TiVA indicators and mechanisms for leveraging them in trade policy making. It was attended by an OECD delegation of experts in science, technology, and innovation, and representatives from key data-producing and -using entities such as the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Finance, Central Bank of Egypt, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of International Cooperation, Ministry of Environment, Financial Regulatory Authority, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority, Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, alongside civil society representatives, academics, and private sector entities including the Federation of Egyptian Industries, Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce, Egyptian Exporters Association, and Federation of Egyptian Banks.