Thirteen new ministers appointed in wide Cabinet reshuffle in Egypt

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
13 Aug 2022 20:00

These changes were approved "after consultation with the Prime Minister" Moustafa Madbouli.

Thirteen new ministers appointed in wide Cabinet reshuffle in Egypt

Egypt's parliament approved a major cabinet reshuffle in an extraordinary session on Saturday for the first time in three years, with 13 ministers entering the government, according to the National Media Authority.

These appointments were initially “presented in a letter from President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi”, said a statement said the House of Representatives.

According to President Sissi's Facebook account, these changes were approved "after consultation with Prime Minister" Moustafa Madbouli.

Since Madbouli's appointment in June 2018, there has only been one ministerial reshuffle in December 2019.

The Ministers of Defence, Interior, Finance, and Foreign Affairs, including Sameh Choukri who is in charge of the COP27 organized in November in Egypt, all retain their posts.

New Ministers have been appointed for Health, Tourism and Antiquities, Trade and Industry, Emigration, Education and Higher Education, Military Production, Population, Public Sector, Culture, and Internal Development.

The Ethiopian water project damming the Nile is proceeding without agreement from downstream countries Egypt and Sudan.

The new irrigation minister is Hani Sewilam, a professor of sustainable development and water resources management at the American University in Cairo.

He assumes the post amid increasing fears over water security and an impending water crisis.

Other notable swaps include tourism and antiquities. Khaled Anani is credited with several high-profile attempts to revive Egypt's vital tourism industry, and he is succeeded by Ahmed Issa Abu Hussein.

The health portfolio has been filled by Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, the acting minister since October.

Abdel Ghaffar's former post of higher education minister will be filled by his deputy, Ayman Ashour.

Another notable appointment is Egyptian Air Force chief Mohamed Abbas Helmy, who takes on the civil aviation portfolio.

Egypt is currently facing one of the worst food crises in its modern history, without access to the majority of its wheat supply due to the war in Ukraine and Western sanctions on Russia.

Last year, Russia and Ukraine accounted for 80 percent of wheat supplies in Egypt – the biggest importer of wheat in the world.

This situation has had a devastating effect on the country’s subsidized bread program, which caters to around 70 million people.

The Egyptian working class and poor are already being pushed far beyond their means, and with this crisis only set to deepen they will be pushed even further.