Cairo: Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, the government was stepping up efforts to settle financial obligations between ministries, public authorities, and other state entities to strengthen their financial positions and improve their efficiency. Madbouly made the remarks during a meeting to review measures to resolve financial obligations between the Finance Ministry and the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC).
According to State Information Service Egypt, Madbouly emphasized the government's focus on addressing financial entanglements to eliminate their negative impact on ministries and public authorities and to enhance their service delivery to citizens. He noted that the government has been holding a series of meetings aimed at reaching settlements, especially for long-standing obligations that have accumulated over decades, with the goal of permanently closing these files.
In recent months, the government has signed a cooperation protocol to settle financial obligations involving the Finance Ministry, the Higher Education and Scientific Research Ministry, and the Planning and Economic Development Ministry. These settlements relate to financing the establishment of 11 state-owned private universities. Additionally, two framework agreements have been signed to resolve historical financial obligations, some of which date back to the 1980s.
Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk highlighted the coordination among state agencies to resolve outstanding financial obligations as part of structural reforms. These efforts are aimed at making better use of state assets, improving financing structures, and strengthening the performance of public entities. Supply and Internal Trade Minister Sherif Farouk provided insights into the accumulation of GASC's debt to the Finance Ministry, pointing to regional geopolitical crises, higher import costs for some subsidized commodities, and other economic factors as contributing factors.
The meeting reviewed proposals to address the debt and discussed measures to settle the financial obligations between the ministry and the authority, alongside ongoing efforts to close the file. The government underscored the importance of GASC in securing basic commodities for citizens and maintaining strategic stocks sufficient to meet domestic needs for extended periods. Resolving the authority's financial obligations with the Finance Ministry would bolster its ability to maintain those stocks and fulfill its role in securing essential commodities.