A Conversation with Egypt’s International Cooperation Minister, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat

On September 15, 2020 the Meridian Corporate Council hosted a Global Business Briefing with Her Excellency Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation. Minister Al-Mashat works to develop and strengthen economic cooperation between Egypt and international, regional, and national organizations. The convening was moderated by the Honorable Dwight Bush, Former U.S. Ambassador to Republic of Morocco, with introductory remarks provided by Mr. Yado Yakub and Mr. Abed Hamandi of SAS.   

Meridian and its Corporate Council had the opportunity to learn about Egypt's economic outlook and current strategies to strengthen economic diplomacy, including developing multi-stakeholder platforms and comprehensive mapping of progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Minister Al-Mashat also detailed priority issue areas of her ministry, including gender parity, women's empowerment, and sustainable energy.  

Given the fiscal and economic challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister Al-Mashat stated that "reform is a continuous process and it's very important to reform in good times, so that we can mitigate the impact of shocks in bad times."   

Egypt's economy had been expected to grow at 5.8 percent before the outbreak of the virus. As part of the immediate recovery response to the pandemic, more than a million Egyptian workers received cash transfers to help alleviate the strains on both the formal and informal sectors.  

The discussion continued focusing on the U.S.-Egypt relationship and the private sector's role in the global pandemic response. "Dialogue with the private sector is extremely important. We know that the engine of growth is going to be through the economic activity and employment that can be generated from the private sector," Minister Al-Mashat remarked.