Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aati received on Sunday Ousmane Dione, the World Bank (WB) Vice President for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan region, and Ethiopis Tafara, Vice President of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for Africa.
During the meeting, Abdel-Aati stressed Egypt’s keenness to follow up on the outcomes of the recent International Monetary Fund and World Bank Spring Meetings held in Washington. He expressed appreciation for the longstanding partnership with the WB and its role in supporting development efforts in Egypt through private sector-led growth and economic reform programmes.
The foreign minister underscored the importance of translating economic reforms into tangible investments that support sustainable development and generate long-term economic gains.
He also emphasised Egypt’s interest in building on the outcomes of the WB President’s visit to Cairo last March through expanding co-operation in key sectors including healthcare, water, energy, food security, and digital transformation.
Abdel-Aati welcomed the implementation of the second phase of the Development Policy Financing Programme, valued at $1 billion, voicing hope for launching the programme’s third phase while maximising the benefits of the 2023–2027 Strategic Partnership Framework.
In the same context, the minister reviewed the Egyptian government’s keenness to sustain its comprehensive economic reform programme, highlighting efforts to develop the state ownership and privatisation programme.
He noted that empowering the private sector remains a top government priority, with the state continuing to create an investment-friendly environment through tax and customs incentives, as well as the digitalisation of government services.
Abdel-Aati also expressed Egypt’s aspiration to expand co-operation with the IFC in sectors such as electricity, tourism, agriculture, and small and medium-sized enterprises, while exploring opportunities for collaboration with the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) to support state-owned companies and maximise the value of national assets.
For his part, WB Vice President Ousmane Dione praised the package of economic and structural reforms implemented by the Egyptian government, as well as Egypt’s economic performance amid ongoing regional and international challenges.
He said these reforms had contributed to boosting financial and monetary stability, improving the investment climate, and supporting economic empowerment and social protection efforts.
Dione affirmed that the Egyptian economy has demonstrated resilience in the face of regional escalation due to structural reforms and the adoption of a flexible exchange rate system.
