Citizens play principal role in preparing state budget: Finance ministry

CAIRO - 25 May 2019: The average citizen plays a principal role in preparing the state budget, a senior Finance Ministry official said on Saturday.

Sara Eid, the head of the Finance Ministry’s Fiscal Transparency and Citizen Engagement Unit, made her remarks during a symposium organized by the ministry in cooperation with a sustainable development center and an Alexandria institution for development.

Through its "participatory budget" initiative, the ministry seeks to increase community engagement in setting the state's fiscal policies, which would enable citizens to effectively participate in formulating the state's reform vision, Eid said.

This initiative is based on the recommendations of a workshop held in cooperation with the World Bank and the ministries of planning and local development, Eid noted, adding it demonstrates the government's commitment to promoting transparency and community outreach.

A number of MPs attended the symposium along with several civil society representatives in Alexandria.