Egypt's Minister of International Cooperation Rania El-Mashat announced on Monday that a high-level delegation of executive directors from the World Bank (WB) is set to arrive in Egypt in January in a first of its kind visit since 2014. The delegation will include Mirza Hassan, dean of the board of executive directors of the WB, Ragui El-Etreby, the alternate executive of the board of the WB, and a number of other top officials. The visit's agenda, according to a statement, includes several meetings with Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and the country's economic ministries to discuss the priorities of the economic reform programme in the coming phase. The meetings will also tackle Egypt's structural and legislative reforms to empower the private sector, provide job opportunities for young people and women, and invest in human capital, especially in education, healthcare and social protection. The agenda also includes a number of visits with private sector representatives to discuss the role the sector should play as a key engine of economic growth and its plans to pump new investments in venture and developmental projects. The delegation is also expected to meet with a number of entrepreneurs to discuss their projects and the government's role in enabling them economically. Minister El-Mashat stressed the importance of such a visit, as the delegation is part of the World Bank's executive board of directors, which is chaired by the president of the WB and consists of 25 directors who represent the WB's 189 member countries. She added that Egypt was working to deepen its partnership with the WB over the coming years in line with its efforts to achieve sustainable development, adding that the cooperation with the WB will be in accordance with the government's programme and in collaboration with the private sector.
