Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on Sunday called for the creation of a comprehensive roadmap to develop the country's media sector, directing authorities to ensure the media has access to data and information, particularly during times of crisis. Al-Sisi made the comments during a meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and the heads of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, the National Press Authority, and the National Media Authority, his office said in a statement. The president praised the vital role of the Egyptian media in shaping national identity and public awareness. He affirmed the state's "firm commitment to upholding freedom of expression and embracing all national viewpoints within the Egyptian media system, in a way that enhances pluralism and intellectual openness," the statement said. Al-Sisi directed that a comprehensive roadmap be developed, with the help of specialised experts, to ensure the national media keeps pace with rapid global changes and can perform its mission in line with the state's modern direction. He also stressed the importance of providing data and information to the media, "especially during times of crisis that capture public attention, so that topics are handled without exaggeration or understatement." The president emphasised the need to rely on qualified young cadres for media work and to organise educational and training programmes for those in the field, with a focus on national security concepts and openness to different opinions to entrench the principle of "opinion and the other opinion." During the meeting, Al-Sisi was briefed on efforts to develop the Egyptian Radio and Television Union (Maspero) and modernise national press institutions. In this context, the president approved a cash allowance proposed by the government for journalists and directed that the issue of end-of-service benefits for Maspero employees be resolved.
