Egypt disburses EGP 18.5 bln from EGP 40 bln social protection package since February

Ahram Online , Monday 16 Mar 2026

Egypt has disbursed EGP 18.5 billion since launching the EGP 40 billion social protection package in February 2026 to support around 15 million families until the end of FY2025/2026 in June, according to a Ministry of Finance statement on Monday.

Children benefited from the Takaful and Karama program. Photo courtesy of Ministry of Social Solidarity

The package aims to ease pressure on households facing rising living costs, particularly low- and middle-income families. So far, EGP 6 billion has been allocated to provide an additional EGP 400 in cash per ration card for about 10 million families, according to Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk.

Another EGP 1.6 billion has been allocated to support households enrolled in the Takaful and Karama programme, the Child Pension programme Maash Al Tefl, and the rural women leaders programme Al Raaedat Al Reefeyat, which are part of the Hayah Kareema initiative.

Maash Al Tefl is a monthly grant provided by the Ministry of Social Solidarity to support children under 18 who meet certain criteria and have no stable family income.

Al Raaedat Al Reefeyat, implemented by the same ministry in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, promotes community awareness and women’s empowerment on issues such as family planning, maternal and child health, literacy, violence against women, and nutrition.

Kouchouk also said EGP 3 billion has been set aside for additional support for state-funded medical treatment, while EGP 4.3 billion has been spent on the first phase of the Decent Life initiative to complete 1,000 projects.

About EGP 3.5 billion has been allocated to the Egyptian Sugar and Integrated Industries Company to settle outstanding payments to sugarcane farmers.

These figures come as Egypt prepares to announce another social protection package at an unspecified time. The government is also planning wage increases for public- and private-sector employees in response to recent price hikes for petroleum products and natural gas for vehicles.

The increases come amid regional tensions following the US-Israeli strikes on Iran and their impact on global energy markets.

The government has also introduced price caps and monitoring campaigns for unsubsidized bread to prevent price manipulation and protect consumers after the rise in fuel costs.