H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Institute of National Planning (INP), chaired the first INP Board of Directors meeting, following the merger of the two ministerial portfolios, in the presence of Dr. Ashraf El Arabi, INP President, members of the Board of Directors, and a number of professors.
During the meeting, H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat emphasized the role played by the INP as a research window for the Egyptian state over the past years, in addition to its role in enhancing policies with evidence and data resulting from research studies conducted and supervised by the institute, as well as its role in enhancing the approach and thinking of scientific planning in Egypt and the Arab region through research, training and educational activities, dissemination of thought and planning work in all Egyptian institutions.
Al-Mashat explained that the INP’s strategy included expanding and diversifying its competitive advisory services to government, private, private and international entities, in addition to strengthening the institute’s presence nationally, regionally and internationally through effective and distinct partnerships, as well as developing its staff and resources, strengthening institutional and technological frameworks, to promote financial sustainability, quality, governance and community service activities.
Moreover, Al-Mashat applauded the institute’s cooperative relations with multiple international partners, including the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the European Union (EU), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), regarding a number of studies and research topics that support the state’s development visions in all fields, pointing to the cooperation in preparing the Human Development Report (HDR), and also noting the diversity of the institute’s training contributions to include many different categories and sectors, in addition to the strategic and non-traditional features to enhance growth.
The meeting also covered the Institute’s annual report for the academic year 2023/2024, the recommendations of the Institute’s General Conference held last September, in addition to discussing the final account of the Institute’s budget for the fiscal year 2023/2024, and the Institute’s work program for the academic year 2024/2025.