Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly met with Minister of Culture Ahmed Hanno on Saturday to discuss a proposed vision for enhancing cultural investment in the country. The vision aims to leverage Egypt's rich cultural heritage and creative industries to generate economic and social returns, contributing to sustainable development and human capital building. "This proposed vision is critical because it will help us to take advantage of the state's cultural assets, from the arts and heritage to creative industries," said Madbouly. "This will generate economic and social returns, impacting our efforts towards sustainable development and human capital building." "We need to increase cultural and artistic events across the country to help young people feel a stronger sense of belonging and national identity," said Madbouly. Minister Hanno explained that the Ministry's vision for cultural investment aligns with President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi'sdirectives for the current government, which prioritises human capital development. "The model we aim to achieve for cultural investment is based on a strong partnership between the government, the private sector, and civil society," said Hanno. "We have set general goals, including developing financing and marketing mechanisms, and promoting cultural investment in its broadest sense." The vision includes plans to enhance Egypt's image as a global source of culture and arts, increase employment through cultural and creative entrepreneurship programs, and increase the contribution of the creative sector to Egypt's GDP. It also involves securing new and sustainable funding sources by transforming cultural products into attractive investment opportunities for donors and sponsors, building international partnerships with global cultural and development organisations, and organising joint cultural events to attract large-scale funding. Hanno discussed the Ministry's preparations for the upcoming October War Victory celebrations, outlining a range of events planned across Cairo and all governorates to commemorate the sacrifices of the armed forces in reclaiming Egypt's territory and safeguarding the country's resources.
