Photo: Egyptian Cabinet's official facebook page
Madbouly made his remarks at the conclusion of a high-level meeting to discuss solutions to the financial problems facing Maspero and the national newspapers, according to a cabinet statement.
He said the government is flexible and willing to back serious reform efforts aimed at ensuring financial stability, improving performance, and strengthening the role of the two authorities and their affiliated institutions.
The meeting brought together NPA head Abdel-Sadek El-Shourbagi, NMA chief Ahmed Al-Muslimani, and senior officials from the Ministry of Finance, including representatives from the Egyptian Tax Authority and the Real Estate Tax Authority.
They reviewed accumulated debts related to taxes, social insurance, and pensions, as well as proposed mechanisms for settlement.
Madbouly stressed that any government support would depend on a genuine development plan, comprehensive financial reform, and administrative restructuring. He underlined that the two authorities must be able to operate independently without returning to borrowing.
He noted that similar approaches have been adopted before with heavily indebted bodies, provided they succeeded in governance, resource management, and sustainable operations.
During the meeting, the heads of the two authorities outlined measures already underway to increase revenues, control spending, and invest assets, presenting steps they said would improve the economic position of their institutions.
The prime minister said resolving the financial challenges of Maspero and the national newspapers is a priority given their role in spreading knowledge, promoting public awareness, and contributing to public opinion. He added that successful reform would strengthen journalistic and media performance.
Maspero, the headquarters of Egypt’s state-owned radio and television services, and the national newspapers operate under the NMA and NPA, respectively.
Both authorities oversee a wide network of public broadcasters, newspapers, and digital platforms that play a central role in informing the public, shaping national discourse, and promoting cultural and social awareness.
Over the past decade, these institutions have faced mounting financial pressures due to declining advertising revenues, rising operational costs, and structural inefficiencies
The shift of audiences and advertisers to digital and private media platforms has further reduced traditional revenue streams, leaving many state-owned outlets burdened with accumulated debts for taxes, social insurance, and pensions.
Successive governments have acknowledged the need for comprehensive reform of the state media sector, emphasizing governance, financial sustainability, and modernization.
Previous restructuring efforts focused on controlling expenditure, investing idle assets, merging or closing loss-making entities, and improving management practices, while maintaining the public-service role of national media institutions.
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