Egypt's Minister of Planning and Economic Development Ahmed Rostom met with a high-level World Bank delegation led by Country Director for Egypt, Yemen, and Djibouti Stéphane Guimbert to discuss deepening their strategic partnership. The talks focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation and providing technical support for Egypt's annual and medium-term development plans. Rostom emphasized the importance of coordination with international financial institutions to accelerate structural reforms.
The meeting took place in Cairo with the World Bank's resident team, where Rostom underscored the need to improve public investment efficiency and accelerate human development-driven growth. He highlighted the close cooperation between the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emigration, and Egyptian Expatriates, stating that such coordination is essential for speeding up structural reforms and maximizing the benefits of international partnerships in support of Egypt's sustainable development goals.
The discussions come amid the ministry's current priorities, including the preparation of the annual development plan and a three-year medium-term framework, with 'the Egyptian citizen at the heart of the development process.' According to Rostom, the updated strategy focuses on reprioritizing public investments to enhance spending efficiency and deliver measurable social returns, while stimulating economic clusters capable of generating employment opportunities.
He added that these efforts directly support Egypt's social protection framework, particularly the Takaful and Karama cash transfer program targeting the most vulnerable groups. The government also reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining the presidential 'Decent Life' initiative aimed at improving living standards in rural areas, with the second and third phases to be accelerated in line with presidential directives.
Rostom proposed a more integrated cooperation model with the World Bank that balances fiscal discipline with expanded social investment, emphasizing that the government's approach goes beyond pursuing economic growth to building a resilient and sustainable economy capable of meeting citizens' aspirations.
For his part, Guimbert reaffirmed the World Bank's commitment to providing technical assistance and expertise to the Egyptian government across several priority areas. These include strengthening financial governance through public expenditure reviews, enhancing domestic resource mobilization, and supporting a sound medium-term fiscal framework. Cooperation will also extend to the social protection and health sectors, including advanced analytical support for Egypt's comprehensive health insurance system, as well as reinforcing economic resilience by supporting the development and management of economic clusters to create more job opportunities.