Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation meets the Executive Director of the United Nations International Trade Centre (ITC)

During the First Global Ministerial Meeting for Small and Medium Enterprises in South Africa…

 

Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation meets the Executive Director of the United Nations International Trade Centre (ITC)

 

Al-Mashat Reviews preparations for the launch of the National Narrative for Economic Development “Advancing Economic Development in Egypt: Reforms for Growth, Jobs & Resilience” and discusses strengthening partnership with the International Trade Centre

 

Al-Mashat: The government attaches great importance to empowering SMEs through national regulatory bodies and incentive-driven policies

 

We look forward to expanding cooperation programs with the International Trade Centre to strengthen public-private partnerships and drive SME growth

 

 

H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, held a bilateral meeting with Ms. Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of the United Nations International Trade Centre (ITC), during the First Global Ministerial Meeting on Small and Medium Enterprises in South Africa, held alongside the 4th Meeting of the G20 Development Working Group.

 

The meeting witnessed discussions on expanding the scope of joint cooperation between the Egyptian government and the UN International Trade Centre, with Dr. Rania Al-Mashat emphasizing the importance of this first ministerial meeting on SMEs and Egypt’s keenness to participate in the meeting as one of the founding members of the United Nations, working within the framework of multilateral cooperation system to advance global development efforts and strengthen public-private partnerships.

 

The Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation added that Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) represent the backbone of economic activity in Egypt, explaining that within the framework of Egypt’s Vision 2030, the government has adopted a comprehensive strategy aimed at empowering this category of enterprises to become a key driver of inclusive and sustainable growth, and to strengthen their role as a main source for expanding the private sector base and increasing its contribution to economic growth, as well as developing their ability to integrate into value-added chains, particularly in sectors such as manufacturing, the green economy, and advanced digital services.

 

Al-Mashat explained that the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation leads the Ministerial Group for Entrepreneurship, which includes representatives from the start-up community and relevant national entities, working to enhance a knowledge-based economy and encourage innovation by coordinating policies and initiatives related to this vital sector in Egypt.

 

Al-Mashat also reviewed the Development Finance to Foster Private Sector-Led Growth & Jobs Report recently issued by the Ministry, which reflects efforts to provide financing and technical support to the private sector over four years period amounting to approximately $15.6 billion from 2020 to May 2025, with a significant portion allocated to support SMEs, including those operating in agriculture, manufacturing, digital services, and renewable energy sectors.

 

H.E. further highlighted Egypt’s launch of the Hub for Advisory, Finance & Investment for Enterprises “Hafiz” platform, the first integrated national digital platform aimed to enable small projects to access financing sources, supportive services, and available opportunities. The platform is part of the digital transformation efforts in the entrepreneurship and development finance system.

 

In this context, the Minister expressed Egypt’s willingness to cooperate with the ITC to expand the platform’s scope, both nationally and through a regional cooperation model within the framework of South-South collaboration, underscoring Egypt’s keenness to strengthen South-South cooperation to leverage developmental expertise and replicate them in other countries.

 

Al-Mashat reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to scaling up evidence-based and results- based SME support programs, and sees tangible opportunities to deepen cooperation with ITC through: Blended finance initiatives to reduce lending risks and incentivize banks to expand financing for this category, Collaboration in the field of digital trade solutions through integration between Egypt’s digital tools and ITC initiatives such as the SME Trade Academy and SheTrades initiative to support women entrepreneurs, Enhancing green competitiveness by supporting Egypt’s launched Digital Green Transformation Toolkit and working to green value chains, in addition to Building strong information and analytics systems to monitor SME performance and guide policies and investments more accurately.

 

H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat also reviewed preparations for the launch of the National Narrative for Economic Development “Advancing Economic Development in Egypt: Reforms for Growth, Jobs & Resilience”which aims to achieve a structural transformation of the Egyptian economy toward tradable and exportable sectors, advance efforts to increase foreign direct investment, and enhance industrial development.