Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has said the government supports all efforts to develop Egyptian media, empower public and private media institutions and enhance their ability to fulfil their national and professional mission.
He also praised the approach of comprehensive dialogue with all stakeholders across the press and media sectors.
Madbouly made the remarks during a meeting on Thursday with Minister of State for Information Diaa Rashwan to review the ministry’s proposal for Egypt’s first annual media conference, which is to be held in line with directives from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
The conference aims to advance the media sector and discuss the challenges and opportunities facing its development.
During the meeting, Rashwan briefed the premier on the outcome of the ministry’s extensive preparatory consultations over the past period, saying that they included 12 meetings with various groups and stakeholders across Egypt’s press and media landscape.
The meetings included discussions with the heads of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, the National Press Authority and the National Media Authority; the head and members of the Journalists Syndicate Council, and the head and members of the interim committee overseeing procedures to establish the Media Professionals Syndicate.
They also involved the editors-in-chief and board chairpersons of national newspapers, editors-in-chief and board members of private and party-affiliated newspapers, editors-in-chief of news websites, heads of channels and networks affiliated with the National Media Authority, heads of private satellite television channels, as well as official spokespersons and media advisers.
Rashwan noted that the consultations reflected the ministry’s commitment to involving press and media professionals as essential partners in shaping the future of Egyptian media.
He also referred to a meeting with the main committee tasked with developing Egyptian media, stressing that the committee’s report provides the broader framework and the main starting point for the conference’s work and agenda.
The series of meetings had identified a number of needs, concerns and practical proposals aimed at improving conditions in the press and media sectors and those of their employees, Rashwan added.
At the end of the meeting, Madbouly directed that coordination with the relevant authorities and bodies continue to finalise the conference’s overall framework and proposed agenda, ensuring that it produces outcome and decisions that help advance Egypt’s media sector and keep pace with changes in the regional and international media landscape.
