Egypt’s Minister of Social Solidarity, Dr. Maya Morsy, participated in a meeting of the Budget and Planning Committee of the Egyptian Parliament, chaired by Dr. Fakhry El-Feki. The meeting focused on discussing the final account of the Ministry of Social Solidarity’s budget for the fiscal year 2023/2024. The session was attended by Dr. Mustafa Salem, Vice-Chairman of the Budget and Planning Committee, members of the committee, Mr. Ayman Abdel Mowgod, the permanent undersecretary of the Ministry of Social Solidarity, and senior leaders of the ministry.
During the meeting, Minister Morsy reviewed the progress of the conditional cash transfer program, “Takaful and Karama,” highlighting the significant strides the program has made since its inception in 2014. She noted that when the program was launched, it benefited 1.7 million families with an initial budget of 3.5 billion Egyptian pounds. Over the years, and in line with directives from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to focus on vulnerable families, the program has seen remarkable growth.
For the fiscal year 2023/2024, the actual expenditure for “Takaful and Karama” has reached 35 billion pounds, with projections to exceed 40 billion pounds in the current fiscal year 2024/2025. The program is expected to reach an estimated 53 billion pounds in the next fiscal year, benefiting approximately 4.7 million families after a decade of operation.
Minister Morsy emphasized the flexibility of the program, stating that the number of beneficiaries can fluctuate regularly as families are added or removed based on their eligibility. She noted that “Takaful and Karama” has been recognized as one of the best social protection programs in the Arab world. The ministry is planning to celebrate the program’s tenth anniversary in May of this year.
The Minister also reiterated that the political leadership prioritizes the welfare of vulnerable families, continuously striving to ensure that social protection measures are available to citizens in need.
Additionally, Dr. Morsy discussed the ministry’s efforts to train both employees and external volunteers. She explained that necessary training funds are secured from various sources, including grants, ensuring that the state budget is not burdened with additional costs.
She further elaborated on her ministry’s philosophy of prioritizing internal development. “We focus on providing opportunities for ministry staff and investing in their professional development. This approach is more effective than relying on external staff, who may leave at any time since they are not permanent employees of the ministry,” Dr. Morsy concluded.
The meeting underscored the Egyptian government’s continued commitment to enhancing social protection programs and ensuring that the most vulnerable segments of society receive the support they need.
