Egypt's Takaful and Karama cash support programme has reached over 4.6 million families—around 17 million people—since 2015, backed by $1.4 billion in concessional World Bank financing, according to Planning Minister Rania Al-Mashat. Targeting Vulnerable Groups Speaking at the 10th anniversary, the minister said the programme supports Egypt's reform agenda and targets vulnerable groups, with 51 per cent of families meeting health requirements and 63 per cent meeting school attendance conditions. All payments are now electronic, and 75 per cent of cardholders are women. International Support and Digital Transformation The World Bank has also provided technical assistance, including training, digital payments via Meeza cards, and monitoring tools. The UK supported institutional capacity-building, while the ILO-backed Waai programme addressed child labour. From Aid to Economic Empowerment Al-Mashat futher said $25 million of the World Bank funds have been directed to micro-financing to reduce aid dependency, with the "Forsa" programme further promoting job access and entrepreneurship, especially among women. Growing Budget for Social Investment The FY 2025/2026 budget allocates 732.6 billion Egyptian pounds to social protection and 327 billion to human development—up 22 per cent year-on-year (YoY)—now representing 45.3 per cent of public investment. Egypt's experience was highlighted at the 2025 World Bank Spring Meetings as a global model. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
