Egypt’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population,Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, held an extensive meeting today with Dr. Maya Morsi, Minister of Social Solidarity, and Dr. Manal Awad, Minister of Local Development, at the Ministry of Health and Population’s headquarters in the New Administrative Capital. The meeting tackled the latest developments regarding the economic empowerment of women and exploring ways to create job opportunities in alignment with the directives of Egypt’s Prime Minister. This effort is part of the broader framework of Egypt’s National Population Strategy.
Advancing Women’s Economic Empowerment
Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, stated that Minister Abdel Ghaffar emphasized the significant role of women’s empowerment in addressing the population issue. He underscored the need for continued coordination and collaboration between relevant authorities to achieve the objectives of empowering women economically. This includes the implementation of industrial and developmental projects across Egypt’s governorates aimed at empowering women.
Key Recommendations and Initiatives
The meeting included a presentation on the participation of women aged 15 and above in the economic sector, as well as an overview of unemployment rates for both females and males in the 15-29 age group across different governorates of Egypt in 2023.
Dr. Abdel Ghaffar further explained that three joint meetings had taken place, resulting in a set of important recommendations. Among them was the creation of an electronic map showcasing the various projects offered by different agencies in the field of women’s economic empowerment. These projects are categorized into five types: agricultural, industrial, commercial, service, and environmental. The goal is to provide diverse opportunities that align with the skills and abilities of women throughout the country.
New Online Platform for Women’s Empowerment Projects
The meeting also discussed the development of a national map for women’s economic empowerment, which includes an interactive online platform to display the distribution of these projects in various regions. This dynamic website links all relevant agencies, providing women with easy access to information on available projects. The website will be continuously updated to ensure that women can benefit from these initiatives and that the efforts of all involved ministries and agencies are supported.
Formation of a Unified Working Committee
The meeting concluded with the formation of a committee tasked with creating a unified work plan. The committee will include representatives from several key organizations, including the Ministries of Health, Social Solidarity, Local Development, and Labor, as well as the National Council for Population, the National Council for Women, the National Council for Motherhood and Childhood, the General Authority for Industrial Development, the National Family Development Project, and the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development Authority. Civil society organizations will also be included in this committee to ensure broad representation.
Additionally, the meeting highlighted the importance of targeting specific low-population areas for the implementation of industrial models previously discussed in prior meetings. Dr. Abdel Ghaffar also noted that there would be efforts to collect unified data on women who are targeted by these initiatives, with decisions and steps to be based on this data.
Ongoing Commitment to Empowering Women
This meeting is part of Egypt’s ongoing commitment to empowering women and providing them with the necessary tools to participate fully in the economy. The collaboration between government agencies and civil society is crucial to creating sustainable opportunities that will have a lasting impact on women’s economic participation, improving both their social standing and the national economy as a whole.
