Egypt to create integrated database of in-kind, monetary subsidies beneficiaries

CAIRO – 30 July 2024: Minister of Social Solidarity Maya Morsi issued a decree Tuesday forming a committee that would carry out a census of the beneficiaries of both in-kind and monetary subsidies in order to create an integrated database.

The committee will be presided by the deputy minister, and have as members assistant to the minister for civil work affairs; head of the Central Administration for Social Care; head of the Central Administration for Social Protection; head of the Central Administration for Directorates; head of the Central Unit for Associations and Civil Work; executive-director of the National Foundation for Family and Community Development; and senior vice-chairman of the Board of Directors of Nasser Social Bank; executive-director of the Takaful Foundation; director-general of the In-kind Subsidies Department; assistant to the minister for planning; and assistant to the minister for Digital Transformation.

The Ministry of Social Solidarity indicated in a report in January that the number of families enrolled in the monetary subsidies programme "Takeful w Karama" had risen by 200 percent from 1.79 million in FY2014/15 to 5.2 million in FY2023/24.

During the same period, the budget allocated to the programme increased by 960 percent from LE3.4 billion to LE36 billion. It is noted that the state treasury provides subsidies to 4.7 million families, while 500,000 families receive assistance from NGOs. The 5.2 million families consist of a total of 22 million individuals approximately.

In a previous statement, the ministry highlighted in June 2022 that Egypt's expenditure on social care, protection and development rose to 9.5 percent of the GDP in the same year.

The allocations went to the monetary subsidies programme Takaful w Karama having as beneficiaries families living below the poverty line and other vulnerable groups; launching the National Programme for the Egyptian Family Development; Egyptian Family Insurance Fund; marriage awareness programme "Mawada;" Positive Parenting Programme targeted at beneficiaries of Takaful w Karama; economic empowerment through microfinancing; increasing the number of centers hosting abused women; rehabilitation and integration of the disabled; raising pensions and providing care to the elderly; doubling compensations disbursed to martyrs families and the injured; and "Awareness" programme aimed at the eradication of child abuse, women abuse, female genital mutilation (FGM), early marriage, and human trafficking along with toughening the penalties pertaining to such crimes.