Cabinet highlights features of 'National Project for Developing the Egyptian Family'

CAIRO – 16 March 2021: Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli held a meeting Tuesday with a number of officials to get briefed on the final draft of the executive plan of the National Project for Developing the Egyptian Family.

The meeting included Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala al-Said, Chairman of the Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) Mohamed Omran, and Chairwoman of the Demographic Center Amira Twadros.

The prime minister urged them to submit the plan in next week's Cabinet meeting for it would be later delivered to the president.

The minister clarified that the strategic goal of the project is controlling population growth in order to improve the quality of life of citizens and families.

The project involves the economic empowerment of women aged between 18 and 45 by creating job opportunities for them. For that, 200 sewing workshops are being set up and equipped in 16 out of the 27 governorates. Those will be affiliated to health units for they would be dedicated to catering to the needs of hospitals.

Further, one million women will be trained on entrepreneurship, and one million micro businesses run by women will be funded and facilitated.

Moreover, a governmental fund will be founded to grant incentives to families abiding by family planning guidelines. Nurseries will be introduced to serve working mothers, and hospitals will be expanded to offer family planning services and healthcare to women and children including all vaccination.

Family planning methods will also be distributed among 400 NGOs that will be trained on safe storage of such products that shall be dispensed for free to women in need.  In addition, 1,500 female doctors will be trained to specialize in family planning and get distributed among healthcare establishments.  

Six million women will be the target of an awareness campaign that will be implemented through 12 million home visits, 30,000 lectures, and 500 events.

Legislations shall be articulated to criminalize the marriage of minors aged below 18 making the penalty of the guardian harsher, criminalize the non-registration of new born babies, and severe the penalty of child labor.