President Amal Ammar, President of the National Council for Women (NCWC), has declared that Egypt is currently in a transformative era for female economic participation. Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Egypt-OECD Country Programme, she emphasized that both the public and private sectors must seize this momentum to further integrate women into the workforce, starting with mandatory anti-discrimination measures and the creation of truly supportive work environments.
Ammar noted that while Egyptian women continue to balance dual roles within the family and society, recent legislative shifts have successfully paved the way for deeper economic integration. These legal frameworks have specifically bolstered entrepreneurship and expanded job opportunities, allowing women to become active drivers of national growth rather than just participants.
The impact of these reforms is clearly reflected in the data: women now lead approximately 53% of small businesses in Egypt. Ammar credited this surge to a series of legal amendments, particularly those passed in 2017, which significantly enhanced women’s access to finance and resources. She also praised the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) for its progressive financial policies that have made banking and credit more accessible to female entrepreneurs than ever before.
Looking toward the future, the NCWC President identified the transition from the informal to the formal economy as a top priority. While women have a massive presence in the market, a significant portion of their work remains within the informal sector, lacking legal protections and data transparency. Ammar stressed that the next phase must focus on the effective implementation of laws to ensure that funding and support reach every woman, helping them move their ventures into the formal sector for long-term sustainability and security.
