Egyptian finance minister Samir Radwan (Photo: AP)
Egypt's government and Supreme Military Council share a consensus on supporting a free economy, said Minister of Finance Samir Radwan on Tuesday, in a lecture held by the American Chamber (Am CHam), one of the country's most powerful business lobbies.
This statement came a day before US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's meeting with army leaders.
Radwan said the government is keen to improve the business climate in order to boost growth.
"We won't destroy the economic structure, we aim rather to build on what has been done", he said, emphasizing that priorities are at this stage "development and social justice".
Government will focus on creating more jobs through the support to industrial small and medium-size enterprises, which have a "quick impact on both employment and growth".
The minister however acknowledges that Egypt's growth rate will likely dip to 3.8 per cent instead of the previous prediction of 5.8 per cent. "Diversity of the economy will cushion growth against a post revolution recession," he said.
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