H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, and Mr. Ahmed Kouchouk, Minister of Finance, held a virtual meeting regarding the work of the Technical Secretariat of the Supreme Committee for Economic Bodies. The meeting was attended by Mr. Mohamed Abazid, Legal Advisor to the Minister, Dr. Hussein Essa, Head of the Technical Secretariat of the Supreme Committee for Economic Entities and former Chairman of the Planning and Budget Committee in Parliament, and Mrs. Sherine El-Sharqawi, Assistant Minister of Finance.

The meeting addressed the role of the Technical Secretariat of the Supreme Committee for Economic entities in coordinating with the relevant ministers overseeing the economic bodies to develop a comprehensive vision. This vision includes a study of the 59 economic bodies in line with the state’s objectives to apply the highest standards of performance and governance within these entities.

The meeting also discussed the mechanisms for the committee’s work to achieve its assigned tasks, in implementation of directives from Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly. The Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation will provide all necessary logistical support, data, and information in coordination with the Ministry of Finance.

In this regard, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to ongoing coordination and monitoring with the Technical Secretariat to provide all necessary information and data. This ensures precise and well-governed steps in evaluating the status of economic entities, aligning with Egypt’s goal of governing these entities and enhancing their operational efficiency and effectiveness within the state’s plan, thereby increasing their contribution to the national economy.

H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat further clarified that strengthening the role of economic entities in the national economy and optimizing their resources positively impacts the state’s economic and financial performance.

On his part, Mr. Ahmed Kouchouk, Minister of Finance, affirmed the Ministry’s commitment to active participation in the work of the technical committee by providing all historical data and details of guarantees issued to these entities. This will aid in developing comprehensive executive plans aimed at enhancing the efficiency and profitability of the economic entities.

The Minister of Finance highlighted the importance of creating clear and detailed executive plans to address the most significant financial risks facing some economic bodies currently. This will ensure increased surpluses from these bodies and a higher transfer of surpluses to the public treasury, thus contributing to maximizing non-tax revenues for the budget, in line with the recommendations of the House of Representatives, the current government, the National Dialogue Committee, and most international institutions.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Planning and Economic Development – Egypt.

The East African Community (EAC) countries are committed to developing a competitive national leather sector, with the goal of driving significant economic growth and fostering regional development.

National Coordination Committee Meetings were held in July in Kenya, Rwanda, and the United Republic of Tanzania, under the leadership of the EAC, with support from the International Trade Centre (ITC) and GFA Consulting Group, under the EU-funded EU-EAC Market Access Upgrade Programme (MARKUP II). These consultative workshops aimed to assess and monitor progress in implementing the EAC Leather and Leather Products Strategy, driving strategic sector development and enhancing regional collaboration.

During the meetings, stakeholders shared updates on the national implementation of the EAC Leather Strategy. Discussions focused on identifying opportunities for national value chain upgrades, prioritizing actions to strengthen the sector, and enhancing connections between national and regional platforms. Participants emphasized the importance of regional integration and collaboration, highlighting the exchange of best practices and improved trade conditions among EAC countries.

Key recommendations for fostering growth in the leather sector included:
•    Analyzing export levies impact for the member states and the region: Conducting a comprehensive review and analysis of export levies on raw hides, skins, wet blue leather and crust to ensure maximum benefits for the sector.
•    Activating the Leather Development Fund in each country: A dedicated fund, potentially sourced from export levies, can be utilized to support the construction of manufacturing facilities, the formation of industry clusters, and other related initiatives.
•    Establishing common manufacturing facilities with shared machinery in strategic locations to boost local footwear production and support smallholders.
•    Phasing out second-hand shoe imports: Advocating for a gradual elimination of second-hand shoe imports to protect and develop the local leather industry.
•    Enhancing Public-Private Dialogue with a collaborative structure to guide policymakers and track progress towards improving industry competitiveness and growth.

These recommendations will be forwarded to the EAC Secretariat for further action and will be discussed at the regional meeting later this year to enhance leather sector competitiveness and strengthen integration.

Jean Baptiste Havugimana, Director of Productive Sectors (DPS), EAC Secretariat said: “Integration within the EAC involves uniting both strong and weak members to ensure collective progress. Strong members must not advance at the expense of weaker ones, and weaker members should strive to rise, not hinder. All partner states benefit equally from this balanced approach. For effective industrialization, collaboration among Partner States and non-state actors, including public, private, and civil society sectors, is crucial in building a unified, prosperous and competitive regional economy.” 

The leather sector in the EAC holds significant potential for industrial, social, and economic growth. Currently, the region has limited capacity to develop finished leather and leather products. However, there is big potential to trade more within the EAC and create value addition domestically to cater to the regional market. This will require efforts to build capacity of all the stakeholders along the value chain, implement a harmonized grading system and a pricing structure that rewards higher quality of hides and skins, establish manufacturing leather hubs and clusters, and create policies that encourage investment in value-added products. These efforts can diversify the sector’s export base, generate employment, and reduce poverty.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Trade Centre.

The U.S. Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), provided three vehicles to the Ghana Health Service for use by the Western, Western North, and Ahafo Regional Health Directorates.

The new 2024 double-cabin Nissan Navara pickups will allow regional health directorate staff to supervise service provision at healthcare facilities and will provide essential medical support and commodities to communities, especially those in hard-to-reach areas.

“The United States is committed to strengthening Ghana’s health systems. This donation through the USAID Care Continuum Project reflects our dedication to improving primary health care services across the 29 districts in the three regions,” said USAID/Ghana Acting Health Office Director, Dr. Stephen Dzisi.

Since October 2019, USAID, through the Care Continuum Project, has donated essential equipment, including 86 high-grade hospital beds, 116 motorbikes, three prefabricated office units, 11 refurbished vehicles, and information and communication technology tools including providing internet connectivity, as part of efforts to strengthen Ghana’s health systems.

“These vehicles will support us to reach our communities with much-needed medical support. We will work to sustain the great gains made by the Care Continuum Project,” noted the Ahafo Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Emmanuel Atsu Dodor, while receiving the donated vehicles.

The United States is Ghana’s largest development partner.  In 2023, USAID provided over $90 million to Ghana’s health sector for malaria, maternal, newborn, and child health, HIV, global health security, and more.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Ghana.

Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi held a meeting to review efforts underway to implement the National Industrial Strategy. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister, Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, Lieutenant-General Kamel Al-Wazir; Minister of State for Military Production, Eng. Mohamed Salah El-Din; Minister of Local Development, Dr. Manal Awad Mikhail; Minister of Finance, Mr. Ahmed Kouchouk; Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities, Eng. Sherif Sherbiny; Minister of Public Business Sector, Eng. Mohammed Sheemy and Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Eng. Hassan El-Khatib.

Spokesman for the Presidency, Counselor Dr. Ahmed Fahmy, said the meeting discussed the various axes and phases for the implementation of the National Industrial Strategy, which targets the prompt enhancement of the Egyptian industry, leveraging all industrial resources available in Egypt, and unleashing the capacities and potential of both the domestic and foreign private sectors. The strategic goal is to transform Egypt into an advanced regional and international industrial hub, thereby increasing the volume and value of exports and promoting the overall national economy, which would positively impact the standard of living of the citizens.

The meeting highlighted the main challenges and obstacles that have been negatively affecting the Egyptian industry, along with ways to address and resolve these issues comprehensively. President El-Sisi emphasized that the industrial sector is a high priority sector for the state, and that the current international and regional developments, while posing significant challenges, also provide opportunities to establish a robust industrial base in Egypt. The President gave directives to the government and the Ministerial Group for Industrial Development to continue intensive efforts to promote the localization process of promising industries in Egypt, transfer technology with the participation of the private sector, whose role shall also be enhanced. This will improve the competitiveness of the Egyptian industry both domestically and internationally.

President El-Sisi also affirmed the need to focus on training and improving the skills of the Egyptian workforce, as well as updating the Egyptian industrial investment map to attract more industrial investments across various sectors.

Additionally, the President gave directives to study the state of defaulting factories, including the challenges they encounter, and develop unconventional solutions to pave the way for their re-operation in order to ensure protection of the investments injected and safeguard workers’ rights.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.