President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met today with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Minister of Social Solidarity Maya Morsy to review developments in Egypt’s social support and protection system.

Presidential Spokesman Ambassador Mohamed El-Shenawy said the meeting addressed ongoing efforts to govern and modernise social support programmes. Minister Morsy outlined the Ministry’s work on preparing a National Social Protection Framework, designed to provide an integrated national approach that reflects Egypt’s efforts and supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

She noted that the state is working to activate mechanisms that provide security for the most vulnerable groups and help families move beyond multidimensional poverty. The Ministry is also encouraging investment in social protection programmes and implementing a strategic financial system for economic empowerment in partnership with relevant government entities, the private sector and civil society.

President El-Sisi stressed the need to continuously develop support mechanisms in a way that achieves a stronger balance between social justice and economic sustainability, while fully safeguarding the rights of the most vulnerable citizens. He directed the establishment of a unified social protection programme to ensure that eligible and targeted groups receive the necessary support.

The President also instructed continued monitoring of the Takaful and Karama programme, which currently benefits 4.7 million families. He called for an annual report assessing the programme’s social, economic and development impact, alongside further efforts to strengthen the economic empowerment of beneficiary families and improve the efficiency of state social spending.

The meeting also reviewed the Ministry’s efforts to develop Egypt’s early childhood care and nursery system, which the state considers a growing strategic priority. Investment in children aged between zero and four was described as a national necessity.

Minister Morsy said the state’s focus on early childhood care and nurseries is part of a broader plan to increase nursery capacity and improve the quality of educational and developmental services provided at this stage, in line with Egypt Vision 2030.

She highlighted a partnership with the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities to increase the number of nurseries in new urban communities, improve the efficiency of existing facilities, streamline nursery licensing procedures and establish a database to identify areas requiring additional nursery capacity. A comprehensive nationwide survey is also underway to identify geographical areas where more nurseries are needed.

President El-Sisi directed efforts to improve the quality and accessibility of services for children, increase nursery enrolment rates and develop an integrated national development map for Egypt’s nursery sector. He also called for policies that better support families, the establishment of counselling and psychological and social support centres for children in line with international standards, and expanded elderly care facilities.

The Minister also reviewed efforts to govern and develop Egypt’s foster-family care system for children without parental care. She said the Ministry is expanding foster-family programmes in a way that serves the best interests of children, while launching an internal electronic system linking the Higher Committee for Foster Families with local committees at Social Solidarity directorates across the country.

President El-Sisi stressed the importance of ensuring that foster families provide children with all aspects of care needed to support their social and psychological stability. He also directed specialists to conduct regular follow-ups to ensure the children’s wellbeing and stability within their foster families.