Egypt’s Minister of Planning, Dr. Rania El-Mashat, participated in a series of pivotal bilateral meetings during her attendance at the World Governments Summit 2025 in Dubai, held this week under the theme “Shaping Future Governments.” The event saw significant participation from heads of state, government officials, and international and regional organizations, all focused on discussing cooperation and exploring ways forward in global governance and economic development.
One of Dr. El-Mashat’s key engagements was a meeting with Mohamed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development. The discussions centered on current and future collaborative efforts between Egypt and the Fund, focusing on ongoing joint programs and the potential for further cooperation in development projects. The conversation emphasized expanding cooperation within Egypt’s economic diplomacy efforts, aimed at promoting investment and fostering a conducive business environment across high-priority sectors such as renewable energy, technology, agriculture, green economy, and private sector partnerships in seawater desalination projects.
Furthermore, the two parties discussed preparations for an upcoming mission from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, set to assess the future trajectory of their relationship and identify new project opportunities for mutual benefit.
In another significant meeting, Dr. El-Mashat met with Elsa Belychovsky, Director of Public Governance at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The discussion highlighted the fruitful collaboration between the Egyptian government and the OECD within the framework of the European Union-funded project “Supporting Public Administrative and Economic Governance in Egypt.” This collaboration, which has spanned the past three years, has played a key role in assisting Egypt’s efforts to monitor and implement priority governance reforms, particularly supporting the realization of Egypt’s Vision 2030 and the National Administrative Reform Plan.
Dr. El-Mashat acknowledged the tangible outcomes of this partnership, including the OECD’s review of Egypt’s public governance framework and the development of a guide for preparing the country’s annual economic and social development plans. These achievements reflect the strength of the partnership, which has made transformative contributions to governance and economic planning in Egypt.
The Minister further expressed her eagerness to strengthen the implementation of Egypt’s Public Planning Law (No. 18 of 2022) by establishing governance structures for medium- and annual-term planning within the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development. She underscored the importance of enhancing strategic sectoral planning, project planning, and the development of planning guidelines for medium- and long-term strategies, with an emphasis on deepening collaboration with the OECD to ensure measurable results that will bring about meaningful change.
During her participation in the ministerial session on “Regional Economic Outlook for 2025” at the World Governments Summit, Dr. El-Mashat provided insights into Egypt’s economic trajectory. She highlighted that the government’s efforts over recent months, including fiscal and monetary measures and structural reforms, have significantly bolstered Egypt’s economic resilience, enabling the country to better withstand future shocks.
Dr. El-Mashat reiterated that macroeconomic stability alone is not sufficient for long-term growth. Continuous structural reforms, which foster a competitive business environment and encourage private sector participation, remain a critical focus for the Egyptian government. She noted the pivotal role of international and regional partnerships in driving development and attracting investment.
Looking ahead, the Egyptian government is committed to building a more resilient economy, prioritizing industrial localization, human development, and empowering entrepreneurs to create job opportunities and achieve sustainable growth. The government’s ongoing efforts include legal and financial reforms aimed at improving the business climate and attracting investors, especially in sectors such as renewable energy.
In addition, Dr. El-Mashat discussed the government’s push to mobilize financing for development through economic diplomacy, aiming to bridge the financing gap in various sectors through concessional financing, debt swaps, and strategic investment plans.
She also touched upon the 2024/2025 GDP report, noting that the real GDP showed signs of recovery, recording a growth rate of 3.5% in the first quarter, compared to 2.7% in the same period of the previous fiscal year. This positive growth was primarily driven by strong performance in key sectors, particularly the non-petroleum manufacturing sector, despite a continuous decline in the Suez Canal activity.
The Minister acknowledged that the Suez Canal sector experienced a contraction of 68.4% during the first quarter of 2024/2025 but emphasized the improvement in other economic indicators, including the highest Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) in 50 months, reaching 50.7 in January 2025. She also highlighted that the non-oil private sector in Egypt achieved its strongest growth in over four years.
Concluding her address, Dr. El-Mashat outlined the Ministry’s framework for driving growth, based on data-driven policies and evidence-based sectoral development objectives. This framework also emphasizes building an economy resilient to external shocks, ensuring macroeconomic stability, and implementing structural reforms aimed at improving resource allocation.
Looking at global trends, Dr. El-Mashat shared that the global GDP is projected to grow by 3.3% in both 2025 and 2026, below historical averages, according to the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook for 2025.
