Egyptian president makes key statements on inflation, regional crises

CAIRO – 21 March 2024: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi assured citizens Thursday that the government was capable of overcoming the economic crisis, commenting on price hikes and shortage in staples.

“We made room for the free market dynamics in the past period. Now, we’re left with two choices. Either tolerate monopolistic practices, or allocate 2-3 billion to pumping goods in the market,” President Sisi said.  

Addressing the Egyptian people’s concern about regional crises, the chief of state urged citizens to focus more on internal affairs.

The statements were made during the Mother’s Day ceremony attended by the president and First Lady Intissar al-Sisi.

Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala al-Said stated that 26 million rural women had access to the services provided through 'Decent Life' initiative; 47 million women acquired medical care through various presidential initiatives; five million acquired microfinancing; and 60,000 received training programmes delivered by the National Training Academy (NTA). Further, 33,000 female public employees were given the necessary support to work at the governmental headquarters in the New Administrative Capital.

Further, the National Council for Women (NCW) streamed a video showcasing the stories of female migrants who enrolled at handicraft workshops delivered by the entity.

In a related context, the president instructed the government to allocate LE5 billion to each of the Family Development Fund and the Elderly Fund. He also instructed the establishment of a museum that displays the achievements of Egyptian women throughout history and that would be located in the New Administrative Capital.

“We’re committed to empowering Egyptian women in a way that matches the size of sacrifices they made,” President Sisi underscored, expressing the government’s keenness on enlarging women’s participation in digital economy.