Cairo: Minister of Planning and Economic Development Ahmed Rostom affirmed that the country program with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) represents an important milestone in the path of strategic cooperation based on the exchange of expertise and the support of evidence-based policies, in a way that strengthens national efforts to achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth. This came in his speech at the closing event of the Country Program between Egypt and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, held in the presence of Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann, along with a number of ministers, ambassadors, and representatives of international institutions.
According to State Information Service Egypt, Rostom noted that the partnership with the OECD has been ongoing since 2005, during which Egypt became an active partner in the OECD Middle East and North Africa Initiative on Governance and Competitiveness for Development for the period 2026-2030. The cooperation further evolved into a strategic partnership with the signing of the Country Program memorandum of understanding in October 2021, enhancing collaboration in capacity-building, evidence-based policy making, and increasing Egypt's representation in OECD committees and working groups.
The minister explained that the Country Program is the result of a participatory approach involving all national stakeholders, with the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development coordinating implementation to ensure effective execution and tangible outcomes. He also stressed that the Egyptian economy has demonstrated resilience in the face of global challenges, with performance indicators showing gradual improvement, supported by the diversity of real economic sectors, particularly manufacturing.
Rostom reviewed the main outcomes of the first phase of the program, highlighting its role in supporting structural reform, enhancing economic competitiveness, and embedding evidence-based policy making within the framework of Egypt's Vision 2030. He outlined that the first phase included 35 projects across five main pillars: inclusive and sustainable economic growth, technology, innovation and digital transformation, public governance and anti-corruption, statistics and monitoring, and sustainable development.
He detailed contributions across these pillars, including support for structural reforms integrated into the national economic reform program, improving the business environment, advancing small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurship policies, strengthening innovation and digital transformation strategies such as artificial intelligence, enhancing governance tools including program-based budgeting, and developing the national statistical system to support evidence-based policy making. He also highlighted work under the sustainable development pillar, including environmental policy reviews and support for clean energy investment and financing mobilization.
Rostom concluded by noting that Egypt is preparing to launch a set of policy reports across key sectors, including investment climate, agriculture and food policy, manufacturing productivity, women's economic empowerment, infrastructure investment, innovation policy, public budgeting reform, and clean energy financing. He confirmed that the Ministry has conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the first phase, which showed tangible improvements in institutional capacity, policy making frameworks, and macroeconomic reforms, with Egypt benefiting from OECD tools and databases.
He expressed Egypt's aspiration to build on this successful partnership through the preparation of a second phase of the Country Program, aimed at further deepening reforms, enhancing sustainability, and strengthening Egypt's regional role, while continuing cooperation with the OECD to support sustainable development and economic resilience.