Egypt strives to achieve the greatest level of women empowerment: Minister of Planning & Economic Development

Egypt strives to achieve the greatest level of women empowerment: Minister of Planning & Economic Development
Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, inaugurated the regional symposium “Gender-Responsive Education and Skills Development Policies after the COVID-19 Pandemic”, which was organized by the Organization for MENA-OECD Women's Economic Empowerment Forum (WEEF).


During her speech, Dr. Hala El-Said explained that mainstreaming the principle of gender equality and providing access to education and training is a catalyst for social change and a condition for achieving human rights, noting that women face some challenges in accessing quality education and training, as well as in obtaining decent work.

El-Said added that the majority of women are concentrated in skilled jobs, low wages, and informal employment, where family, community and care responsibilities limit their opportunities to obtain education and training or to participate equally in the labor market.


El-Said emphasized that gender equality is a critical component in achieving decent work for women and men.

On the digital transformation process, El-Said explained that studies showed an imbalance between men and women in the number of digital skills, as women are the most vulnerable in this skill.


El-Said added that in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has become reliance on digital technology for the ability to confront the epidemic and continue to access basic services, adding that with the huge increase in inequalities, resulting from the lack of equal access to and use of digital services, the “Digital Divide” will continue between the sexes.


El-Said added that politics is a key factor in helping economies bridge the digital gender gap, stressing that many measures can be implemented to narrow this gap and even close it permanently, whether in schools, universities, and workplaces.

El-Said reviewed the progress made by Egypt concerning gender equality, noting the unprecedented steps taken by the Egyptian government to increase women's representation and leadership responsibilities, both within the public sector and in society as a whole.


El-Said also referred to the national strategy for women's empowerment, which has been in place since 2017, to complement Egypt's Vision 2030, stressing that Egypt is committed to mainstreaming and observing gender equality.

El-Said added that the latest indicators reflect the high percentage of women's representation in the Council of Ministers, reaching an all-time high, reaching 26%. The representation of women in Parliament has also increased to 15%, in addition to the fact that 50.7% of the total number of administrative staff are women.


El-Said pointed to the cooperation between the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (NIGSD), the National Council for Women (NCW)Training Academy in developing women's skills in government, which is part of the government's investment in human capital.
El-Said indicated that through the Women Leaders Qualification Program, more than 450 women have been trained in 6 governorates, and by the end of 2021, more than 1,000 women will be reached, representing all governorates of Egypt.

El-Said added that the representation of women in companies listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange is currently 10.1% on boards of directors out of 243 companies, and the representation of women in the banking sector is 14.8% among 34 banks, while the representation of women in the public business sector is 6.1% of among 8 holding companies and 112 subsidiaries.

Dr. Hala El-Said announced the launch of a national initiative entitled "She is for a digital future" this July, intending to bridge the digital gender gap through training and capacity building in cooperation with Cisco International and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

El-Said explained that this initiative aims to ensure equality and equal opportunities in access to education and technical training to promote comprehensive innovation, stressing that the goal of the initiative is to train 2,000 women in public universities and the public sector before 2022.