التكنولوجيا وأخبارها بوابة مصر لأخبار تكنولوجيا المعلومات والإتصالات وفي أفريقيا كما تعتبر مصدر رئيسي للمعلومات حول تكنولوجيا المعلومات والاتصالات والفرص الاستثمارية المرتبطة بالاقتصاد الرقمي في المنطقة بالكامل
Nabila Makram, Minister of Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates’ Affairs, lauds government’s handling of the
issue of Egyptians stranded abroad during COVID-19 crisis
on Reshaping Norms
- Returnees from abroad add more strength to
- th country’s power and help achieve Egypt’s 2030Agenda
Ambassador Nabila Makram, Minister of Emigration and
Egyptian Expatriates’ Affairs, participated in season three
of Narrative Summit’s digital talks entitled Reshaping
Norms. The series, broadcast across their social media
channels, gathers different experts, industry leaders, and
decision-makers to tackle the global and local effects of the
COVID-19 crisis and how it has paved a path to a new
reality across different sectors.
The Minister reviewed the efforts made by the Egyptian
government during the coronavirus crisis, to bring back the
Egyptians stranded abroad. She said that when the flights
were suspended, the Ministry received many appeals and
calls from Egyptians working in the Gulf who were on
vacation in Egypt, or from Egyptians abroad who were on
tourist visits, working, or studying. The directives of
President El-Sisi were clear in this regard, namely that
citizens come at the top of the country’s priorities
regardless of the losses.
The government made collective efforts and a committee
was formed headed by the Prime Minister to work on this
issue. Communications were made with authorities in the
Arab and European countries and the US, the authorities in
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE were very cooperative,
and behaved in a very a humane manner, as they were
keen that no Egyptians should be dismissed from their jobs.
The government successfully returned more than 77,000
citizens from abroad. Makram noted that the government’s
dealing with this issue gave a positive image for Egypt to
the world and to Egyptians abroad.
Ambassador Makram stressed that the Ministry of
Emigration, in cooperation with the Ministry of Planning,
has developed a plan to integrate the Egyptian returnees
from abroad into Egypt’s labor market, saying that the
Ministry produced a form that was distributed to Egyptians
during their flights back home and during their stay in
university hostels that were designated as quarantine
centers, and was also made available online to collect data
about them.
This data was analyzed and their results were distributed to
the ministries of commerce, industry, and local
development, so that the Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA) can begin to
coordinate and put forward the available projects in each
governorate, while clarifying the possibilities of obtaining
loans to implement such projects. Makram also said that
national projects and businessmen are in need of
specialized labor and the labor returning from abroad is key
for achieving Egypt’s 2030 Agenda.
With regard to capitalizing on Egyptian minds abroad,
Ambassador Makram pointed out that the Ministry of
Emigration communicated with Egyptian doctors working
abroad, such as Dr. Ashraf El-Fiqi in Washington and Dr.
Hisham El-Askari in Los Angeles, and others who
participated in online sessions and workshops with
Egyptian universities and ministries to learn more about
how the government addressed the coronavirus pandemic
and to discuss how to attract more foreign investments to
Egypt. She added that these discussions touched upon the
“Back to Roots” initiative and the Tenth Conference of
Cypriot Youth, with the aim to attract second and third
generations of young Egyptians, Cypriots and Greeks, in
order to convey to them the message that we are one
people with a common history and culture.
She also shed light on the topic of political participation of
Egyptians living abroad and said that, “Egyptian expatriates
presented a positive image through their eagerness to
participate in both the presidential elections and the
referendum on the constitutional amendments in 2019.
Therefore, I was keen to present them with a short film
that explains to them everything related to the elections,
such as the role of the Senate, and how to register on the
website of the National Elections Authority, as well as the
mechanism of voting via express mail. Meanwhile, the
arrangements may differ slightly when it comes to the
elections of the House of Representatives, which are
scheduled to be held early next year, as the National
Elections Authority will announce the mechanism for
representing Egyptian expatriates in the Parliament”.
Ambassador Nabila Makram also added that she is proud of
the Egyptian citizens living abroad and greatly appreciates
their efforts and peaceful rallies in the US, Germany, and
some other European countries, in which they called for the
protection of Egypt’s rights to the Nile water. She also
noted that the Ministry of Emigration produced a film in all
languages, which highlights Egypt’s historical right to the
Nile water, adding that the film was distributed to all
embassies and consulates to help the different communities
in their efforts to communicate Egypt’s voice to the world.
