The Cabinet's Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC) has initiated the first comprehensive national dialogue sessions on the document that outlines the key strategic directions for the Egyptian economy in 2024/2030. Osama El-Gohary, Assistant to the Prime Minister and Head of the IDSC, said that the research project involved six months of work, 19 workshops with local and international experts, and 400 participants. The project resulted in 873 recommendations to improve the performance of the Egyptian economy. The document was derived from these recommendations and presented for national dialogue. Heba Abdel Moneim, Head of the Technical Office Affairs Axis at the IDSC, and Head of the Scientific Advisory Committee, explained the document's objectives. The document is based on analytical studies of the Egyptian economy's trajectories over the past forty years. It is part of an integrated research project that includes a detailed executive plan with various implementation mechanisms in the short, medium, and long term. The purpose of the national dialogue is to achieve societal consensus on the policies and mechanisms to implement the document's objectives. Abdel Moneim stressed that the document's targets are realistic and achievable for the Egyptian economy. She noted that the Egyptian economy grew by 6.6% in 2022, despite the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. She also emphasised that the document focuses not only on increasing the economic growth rate but also on improving the quality of economic growth. The goal is to make the growth more inclusive and sustainable, mainly driven by private sector activity through increased contributions of investments and exports to the GDP, reaching 50% by 2030. Mohamed Saafan, the former Minister of Manpower, praised the national dialogue on the document, highlighting that citizen participation in shaping policies and implementation plans significantly enhances their success. Saafan also urged the support of small industries, producers, and exporters, ensuring they have a fair share of the market. Moreover, he pointed out the need to reform the legislative system to achieve a balance between workers and employers and support employment levels. Adel Abdel Fadil, the head of the Labor Committee in the Senate, called for facilitating the implementation of legislative reforms, especially in light of the new republic's orientation to support all productive sectors. He cited the previous parliamentary sessions that discussed several legislations to regulate the informal economy and protect irregular labour, including the new insurance law with various privileges. Ahmed Ashour, supervisor of the National Accounts Unit at the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, said that the document aims to give the Egyptian economy a competitive edge by diversifying the economic structure among agriculture, industry, tourism, logistics services, communications, construction, and building. The document supports maximising the benefits of this economic diversity, providing the Egyptian economy with sufficient flexibility to face external challenges and crises, as outlined in the strategic directions document for the Egyptian economy. He added that the document complements a series of reforms outlined in the state's policies document, which are vital at a time when the world is facing severe economic repercussions. Challenges and opportunities for employment Abdel Hamid Bilal, the former advisor to the Minister of Manpower, identified significant challenges facing the employment sector in Egypt, such as wage gaps in some industrial and agricultural sectors that favour informal economy jobs. He stressed the need for clear and stable definitions and rates for basic, fixed, and comprehensive wages. Hasan Mustafa, Assistant Minister of Social Solidarity for Investment and Assets, praised the document's focus on fair development distribution among the Republic's governorates. He recommended achieving this by financing projects that mainly rely on the competitive relative advantage of each governorate. This approach ensures innovative funding for projects that support their competitive advantage. Mustafa also highlighted the need to address investment challenges in each governorate according to its nature, such as the New Valley Governorate, which has great potential for agricultural investment but requires specialized programs and supportive laws. Neshwa Bilal, Director of the Employment Department at the International Labor Organization in Cairo, suggested organizing high-quality and sector-specific workshops to develop executive plans that address structural problems. She advised focusing on solving some issues through decisions or legislation, such as reducing gender gaps in the labour market. She pointed out that including a percentage of non-working women in the labour market would significantly reduce unemployment rates, which can be achieved by creating a suitable working environment for women. Gamal Shahata, former dean of the Faculty of Commerce at Cairo University and professor of strategic management, expressed that the document is ambitious, feasible, and realistic, urging the need for precise executive plans with continuous review plans to achieve the targets in various stages. He said that this is essential to cope with the current uncertainty dominating global economies due to rapid changes on the international stage. Ahmed Gioushy, former Deputy Minister of Education for Technical Education, emphasised the industrial sector's participation in technical education as vital for regulating employment policies. He said that this ensures a generation capable of entering the job market directly based on real opportunities. Gioushy proposed learning from similar experiences, especially in Germany and Malaysia. Abeer Shaqweer, representative of the United Nations Development Programme, noted that the opportunities to achieve the strategic goals outlined in the document would be greater with the implementation of executive plans aligned with global trends related to the green economy, sustainable development financing, and digital transformation. She mentioned that Egypt has a leading global position in outsourcing, indicating the potential of the Egyptian economy to achieve the required flexibility to face global challenges. Amena Abdel Hamid, Assistant Minister of Labor, stated that the Ministry recently formulated the general framework for the National Employment Strategy through technical committees comprising representatives from all ministries and stakeholders. She said that the framework includes opportunities to increase investment, create more job opportunities, integrate the informal sector into the economy, forecast future job opportunities, empower women in the labour market, promote equality in the work environment, and export labour abroad.
