Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly convened a meeting on Tuesday to assess the implementation status of the “Decent Life” presidential initiative projects and review their financial management and funding.
The gathering included key government officials such as Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, and Magdy Mahfouz, head of the finance sector at the Ministry of Finance.
The “Decent Life” initiative, a cornerstone of Egypt’s rural development strategy, aims to improve living standards and enhance service quality across various sectors in the country’s villages. Madbouly emphasised the initiative’s significance in developing rural Egypt, highlighting the ongoing implementation of developmental and service projects.
“We are committed to continuous monitoring of project implementation, tracking progress on the ground, and working to remove any potential obstacles,” Madbouly stated during the meeting.
The initiative’s first phase targets the implementation of approximately 22,800 projects across various service and development sectors. These projects span 1,477 villages in 52 centres across 20 governorates nationwide, with an expected beneficiary count of around 18 million citizens.
Al-Mashat presented key performance indicators for the initiative’s first phase, revealing that 70% of the total project investments were directed towards human development. Upper Egypt governorates received the largest share of these investments, with an estimated 11 million citizens expected to benefit.
“We’ve seen improvements in basic services provided to citizens across several sectors,” Al-Mashat reported. She noted increases in the number of subscribers to drinking water, sanitation, communications, and natural gas services, as well as an improvement in the financial inclusion index.
The second phase of the initiative is set to expand its reach further. It plans to include projects in various sectors across 1,667 villages, distributed over 462 local units in 59 centres within 20 governorates.
Al-Mashat also addressed the funding status for the initiative’s second phase for the fiscal year (FY) 2024/25 She outlined the measures being taken to secure and allocate the necessary funds and investments for implementing the projects included in this phase.
The “Decent Life” initiative represents a significant effort by the Egyptian government to bridge the development gap between urban and rural areas. By focusing on human development and improving basic services, the programme aims to create a more equitable distribution of resources and opportunities across the country.
