Minister of Planning Receives 2023 Report on NIGSD 's Activities

H.E.Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, received a report on the activities of the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (NIGSD) — the ministry's training arm — during 2023.

Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development and Chair of the NIGSD Board of Trustees, emphasized that the institute’s vision and mission are to enhance and develop Egypt's standing in governance and sustainable development. This is achieved through offering consultations, research, and training programs aimed at spreading the culture, values, and practices of sustainability and activating governance mechanisms across all state sectors, in alignment with Egypt's Vision 2030.

She highlighted the institute's belief in the value of exchanging expertise with international institutions in the fields of management and governance, noting partnerships with numerous prestigious universities and institutions locally and internationally.

The report highlighted NIGSD's achievements in 2023, including winning the EFMD Excellence in Practice Award for outstanding case studies that describe effective and impactful learning and development interventions among partner organizations. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs also recognized the "Be an Ambassador" initiative as an accelerator for sustainable development goals. Additionally, the initiative was expanded to include a cohort for sign language and planning officials. The institute also received a participation medal from Guinness World Records for the longest journey during the activities of COP27.

In 2023, the Egypt Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation was launched to support youth in transforming their innovative ideas into startups, training 333 young individuals during the year. Four workshops on marketing and e-commerce were conducted in collaboration with GoDaddy, along with four training courses in the Design Thinking: From Challenge to Project program, and a pre-incubation program for the ready-made garment industry.

The year 2023 saw collaboration between the institute and UNICEF to implement the "Our Time" platform to empower youth regarding sustainable development and climate change. There was also cooperation with the Ministry of Education to extend the "Green Minds" initiative to spread sustainable development and climate change awareness among students, training 4,400 primary school students in Cairo, Alexandria, Fayoum, and Ismailia, and conducting six Green Leader camps for high school students.

The report noted the continuation of the "She for Digital Future" initiative under the name "Together for a Digital Future," training 1,575 participants in collaboration with Cisco. The "She for Sustainable Development" training was provided to 50 women in Luxor, and the first and second rooftop gardening programs were launched. Additionally, an awareness initiative on sustainable development, governance, and Egypt's Vision 2030 was conducted for ministry employees and university students across several governorates, training 335 participants.

The Egyptian Women's Leadership Program trained around 324 participants in its fifth cohort across the country in Cairo, Aswan, Qena, Sohag, Beni Suef, Matrouh, and the Red Sea. The report also mentioned the launch of the "Salah and Amany and the SDGs" initiative at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the first and second meetings of the "Build an Author" initiative in cooperation with the Hans Seidel Foundation, along with sessions for African children and children with special needs.

Regarding NIGSD’s publications and research, the report highlighted the Egyptian Impact Assessment Lab's study evaluating the impact of three government projects according to Egypt's Vision 2030. Another study assessed the impact of digital savings and loan groups in Egyptian villages. Reports on Egypt's performance in global governance indicators and the Global Innovation Index were issued, along with materials on the origins and definitions of governance, and the inclusivity and participation index for the National Governance Index. Final drafts for the detailed structure of the National Governance Index and expert, private sector, and citizen surveys were completed in cooperation with the Administrative Control Authority and the USAID-funded Economic Governance Project. The institute also participated in drafting the third edition of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy 2023-2030 and collaborated on the Egyptian Citizen's Charter with the OECD.

On major projects to improve public services, the report noted the development of four Egypt Service Centers, 969 technology centers in neighborhoods and cities, the upgrade of 4,667 health offices, and 125 notarization offices.

The report also detailed NIGSD’s achievements on the African level, including four editions of the performance measurement program for effective governance in Africa, the African Women's Leadership Program, and contributions to the report on the progress of the national action plan and recommendations in the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) report. The institute prepared the sub-index on state resilience to shocks and crises (APRM index), finalized the “Leaving No One Behind” guide to enhance social justice strategies in Africa, based on the APRM’s continental baseline study on implementing CEPA principles for effective governance in Africa, and completed the Effective Governance Principles for Sustainable Development dictionary in collaboration with the Hans Seidel Foundation. The second edition of the "Salah and Amany and the SDGs" stories was published, and Egypt's performance in the 2022 Mo Ibrahim African Governance Index was reported.

Internationally, NIGSD conducted initiatives on e-governance and anti-corruption, digital governance for the Egyptian judiciary, and e-governance in public administration in cooperation with the United Nations University in Portugal. Three sessions of the "Innovative Governance in the Digital Age" program were held with Thunderbird School of Global Management, and two sessions of the "Excellence in Governance and Sustainability in the Digital Age" program were conducted with Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government in Dubai. The "Digital Transformation and Good Governance" program was also held in collaboration with the Hertie School in Germany. Publications included the second and third issues of the Governance for Sustainable Development magazine, a study on NIGSD's efforts in sustainable development, and a report analyzing Egypt's performance in the 2023 Sustainable Development Report by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network in cooperation with Dublin University.

Regarding NIGSD's achievements from 2020 to 2023, the report highlighted training a total of 52,954 participants, conducting 92 training programs, delivering 25,516 training hours, and running 29 international programs. The institute trained 1,300 participants abroad and 163 participants with special needs. Additionally, 97 training hours were dedicated to sustainable development awareness workshops, with 1,435 participants from 13 governorates. Programs for participants with special needs covered 24 governorates, training 163 individuals.