Egypt’s Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, underscored the critical importance of human development as a key driver of economic growth, emphasising the government’s commitment to this vital sector.
Speaking at a high-level roundtable on Population and Human Capital Development in Egypt, held during the Global Conference on Health, Population, and Human Development under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Al-Mashat highlighted the interconnectedness between human and economic development.
“Economic development cannot be achieved without human development,” she stated.
The roundtable, which included participation from several Egyptian ministers, including Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development and Minister of Health and Population; Ashraf Sobhy, Minister of Youth and Sports; Adnan Fangari, Minister of Justice; Mohamed Abdel-Latif, Minister of Education and Technical Education; and Ahmed Hanno, Minister of Culture, as well as representatives from the World Bank, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, and other development partners, provided a platform for discussing the government’s new vision for human development.
Al-Mashat highlighted the government’s significant investment in human development, noting that the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation has allocated EGP 118bn from the budget for the sector in the fiscal year (FY) 2024/25. This represents 42% of total government investments and focuses primarily on education and health.
She also highlighted the ministry’s commitment to securing external funding, pointing to a portfolio of international cooperation projects to support human development valued at approximately $7bn. This includes concessional financing, technical support, grants, and debt swaps.
Al-Mashat stressed the ministry’s commitment to human development in its collaborations with international partners, including the United Nations, the World Bank Group, the European Union, the United States, China, and other bilateral and multilateral partners. She emphasized that “economic development can only be achieved by enhancing human development.”
The minister also announced plans to launch a national multidimensional poverty index, which will guide strategies aimed at reducing poverty rates and strengthening national capacities regarding multidimensional poverty data. The index will ensure the issuance of high-accuracy quantitative and qualitative indicators to integrate with efforts for voluntary national reviews related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Al-Mashat also highlighted the ministry’s efforts to leverage the strengths of international partners in key areas of human development, including education, health, social protection, and suitable work. This has resulted in several developmental programs in the field of human development, which development partners consider pioneering. The ministry is also utilising diagnostic reports prepared by development partners to provide evidence-based policies and indicators to enhance innovative solutions for achieving development.
Referring to the “Takaful wa Karama” program, funded by the World Bank and implemented over nine years with concessional funding totalling $1.4bn, Al-Mashat pointed out that the program has become a model for cash transfer programs that should be replicated in developing countries worldwide. The program has benefitted 20 million Egyptian citizens through cash assistance.
Al-Mashat also mentioned the Comprehensive Health Insurance Program, which is supported by several development partners, including the World Bank, Japan, and the French Development Agency. The program, which has 6 million beneficiaries enrolled, aims to improve the quality of health services provided to citizens. She also noted joint programs with the United States Agency for International Development to enhance family planning programs, as well as collaboration with the European Union on the national population strategy aimed at reducing population growth rates, given the demographic challenges facing development and economic reform processes in Egypt.
She emphasised that the education sector is a key focus for the ministry in its collaborations with development partners. This includes the establishment of 15 schools for outstanding students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) across 11 governorates. There are also 18 partnerships established between the public and private sectors to support this school network, and approximately 200 Japanese schools have been implemented nationwide across 26 governorates.
Al-Mashat stressed the Ministry’s role in coordinating various visions to meet priority needs across different development sectors, closing developmental gaps, and enhancing partnerships between the public and private sectors.
Al-Mashat also discussed the national project for developing the Egyptian family, which encompasses multiple aspects, including economic empowerment, service provision, cultural, educational, and awareness initiatives, digital transformation, monitoring and evaluation, and legislative frameworks. The demographic aspect is one of the project’s key targets. She emphasised that the ministry, especially following the integration of the ministries of planning, economic development, and international cooperation, plays a pivotal role in supporting the project through economic and social development programs, implementing the funding equation across the governorates.
The ministry also ensures equitable distribution of investments across various sectors, including the demographic aspect, which is one of the most significant determinants of public investment distribution to address developmental gaps.
During the session, members of the ministerial group for human development witnessed the signing of a protocol between the Ministries of Health and Population, Higher Education and Scientific Research, and the National Population Council to address the shortage of doctors in health units by utilising medical teams from university hospitals and providing necessary training for doctors, particularly in the field of obstetrics.
