In the draft general budget for FY2022/23, Egypt allocated support amounting to EGP 302.2bn for social protection, compared to actual allocations of EGP 251bn in FY2020/21 — an increase of 17.6%.
This came in the report of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development on social protection spending for FY-2022/23.
Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said also said that support for social security and the Takaful and Karama programmes amounted to EGP 22bn, while support for public housing recorded EGP 266m.
She indicated that cash and utilities support for the social housing programme amounted to EGP 7.780bn, and about EGP 3.5bn have been allocated to link households to the natural gas grid.
El-Said added that the aforementioned activities and programmes have resulted in the poverty rate declining for the first time in FY2019/20 to 29.7%, after it had recorded a continuous increase in previous years until it reached its highest level (32.5%) in FY2017/18.
It is expected, with the continued effectiveness of protection and social protection programmes, that the rate will continue to decrease to 25% in FY2022/23.
Likewise, the extreme poverty rate is targeted to decline to 3.8%, continuing the declining trend in FY2019/20 to 4.5%, after it had reached a maximum of 6.2% in 2017/18.
On the most important achievements of social welfare services in 2021, the report of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development indicated that the number of beneficiaries of cash support amounted to about 15 million with a total of about EGP 20bn spent.
While the number of beneficiaries of the child pension amounted to 38,800, with a total cost of about EGP 32m, and the cost of the population increase reduction project amounted to about EGP 22m, with the total number of beneficiaries being 959,000 women.
The report added that the total number of beneficiaries of the ministry’s support for irregular workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic reached about 75,000 workers with a total cost of EGP 640m.
Additionally, 12,100 housing units for vulnerable families have been equipped and furnished at a cost of EGP 379.9m, and work is underway to equip another 11,100 housing units at a cost of EGP 351.9m.
Also, 340 associations received about EGP 2.5bn, in addition to the value of aid from the Fund for Supporting Projects of Associations and Civil Institutions reaching EGP 448.4m.
Furthermore, 1,020 nurseries were developed. Meanwhile the total number of children benefiting from early childhood services reached one million at a cost of EGP 250m, and the total service units provided to disabled people were about 757 units, benefiting 285,500 individuals.
Moreover, aid worth EGP 23.5m was provided through institutions serving disabled people, with the number of beneficiaries reaching 122,700. Finally, the cost of tools and equipment to serve disabled people amounted to EGP 74.4m, with a total of 19,400 beneficiaries.
