On 22 July 2025, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, met with Stephane Guimbert, Regional Director of the World Bank for Egypt, Yemen, and Djibouti, to discuss strengthening cooperation to advance economic development in Egypt.
The discussions focused on leveraging the World Bank’s expertise and capabilities to support the Egyptian government’s priorities, with joint work underway to develop a comprehensive implementation plan in collaboration with ministries and national entities. This plan aims to support macroeconomic stability, provide development financing, promote industrial development and trade, attract foreign direct investment, and increase investment in human capital.
Dr. Al-Mashat outlined the Ministry’s work on the national narrative for economic development, which includes preparing the National Strategy for Industrial Development to increase exports, enhance the value-added of manufacturing industries, and expand the green economy’s contribution to GDP. The strategy also seeks to align the foreign direct investment strategy with industrial development, support a skills-focused labour market strategy, and promote investment in human capital. This unified development framework is intended to reflect state priorities, ensure consistency in macroeconomic policies, and serve as a reference for the government, international institutions, and development partners.
The meeting also reviewed updates on the World Bank’s portfolio in Egypt, including the Universal Health Insurance Project, the Sustainable Rural Sanitation Services Program, and the Takaful and Karama Program. Progress on the Upper Egypt Local Development Program and the Cairo-Alexandria Trade Logistics Development Project, implemented with the National Railways Authority of Egypt, was also discussed.
Guimbert presented an overview of a new World Bank-led global health initiative aiming to expand basic health coverage to an additional 1.5 billion people worldwide, particularly in middle- and low-income countries. The potential for Egypt to join the initiative was raised, given its progress in health sector reforms, notably through the Universal Health Insurance system, one of the largest social protection projects in the region.
