Speaking at an interactive session titled "Economy of Opportunities and Youth Empowerment," held as part of the Egyptian Women's Summit at Nile University, Kouchouk declared: "We are with the youth because they own the future... and we will strongly support their ideas, activities, initiatives, and projects."
The Minister sent a direct message to young Egyptians:
"Work with passion to achieve your dreams, and the return will be more
than you expect."
He announced the ministry's plan to establish a
comprehensive strategy for continuous communication and dialogue with youth in
a language they understand.
Kouchouk affirmed that "public service and serving the
people is a great honor," noting that the Egyptian economy is performing
well and indicators are improving. He stressed the government's commitment to
maintaining this trajectory by focusing on increasing resources, diversifying
income sources, and prioritizing manufacturing and export efforts.
Balanced financial policies have successfully stimulated the
economy, resulting in a 73% growth in private investments, the Minister
confirmed. "We believe our role is to drive economic activity by
supporting the business community within a framework of trust and
partnership," he said, citing strong growth in the productive, industrial,
technological, and tourism sectors during the last fiscal year.
The Minister highlighted progress in fiscal stability. The
budget sector's debt-to-GDP ratio has fallen by 11% over two years, with a
target to reduce it to less than $80\%$ of GDP this year. The budget sector's
external debt has seen a $4 billion reduction.
Kouchouk praised the successful reliance on the private
sector and attributed tax facilitations to the confidence and responsiveness of
partners. "The more we can expand the tax base, the more fiscal space we
will have to improve services for taxpayers and citizens," he explained.
Tax revenues increased by $35\%$ without any additional
burdens, a rise attributed to economic improvement and simplified procedures
for the business community. Kouchouk emphasized that the Simplified Tax System
is highly motivating for young entrepreneurs and startups, with special funding
incentives offered to the first 100,000 individuals who voluntarily join the
scheme.
Dina Abdel Fattah, founder and head of the "Fifty Most
Influential Women Forum," praised the Ministry of Finance's support for
the Egyptian Women's Summit, which hosted over 5,000 students from 28
universities.
She noted that the Minister's participation and message of reassurance had a significant impact, boosting youth confidence in the Egyptian investment climate and encouraging entrepreneurship. The Minister also provided a detailed explanation of state advantages designed to encourage young people to innovate and launch technology-based projects.