H.E. Hala Elsaid

Minister of Planning and Economic Development

Minister of Planning and Economic Development since December 22, 2019, and a prominent Egyptian economist and academic figure. Dr. Hala ElSaid received her PhD in Economics in 1989 from the Faculty of Economics and Political Science at Cairo University. In 2011, she became the first elected dean for the Faculty of Economics and Political Science and then assistant to the president of Cairo University for Scientific Research and Foreign Relations from September 2013 to 2016. Dr. Hala ElSaid is a prominent female banking figure, as a member of the Central Bank's Board of Directors and as an Executive Director of the Egyptian Banking Institute for eight consecutive years, managing the Institute with a promising vision to establish a professional training arm for the Egyptian banking system that applies international best practices in the development of technical and administrative skills for financial and banking professionals in Egypt and the Middle East and North Africa. During this period, she led a group of experts and consultants at the Institute to obtain international accreditation to become the first accredited banking and financial training institute in Egypt and the Middle East and North Africa region (2006 -2008). Dr. Hala ElSaid has also held several positions, including advisor to the Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Central Bank's Anti-Money Laundering Unit, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Arab African International Bank. In addition to this great career, Dr. Hala ElSaid has academic contributions that include a wide range of internationally acclaimed research papers, studies and reports on various economic topics, most notably studies on financial and banking reform, international finance, privatization and economic reform. To name but a few, ElSaid has provided research and reports on bank mergers, financing of Small and Medium Enterprises, Corporate Governance and the role of the state in reducing credit risk. As a culmination of her prominent role in the area of public service, Dr. Hala ElSaid was appointed Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Administrative Reform on February 16, 2017, and then took over the portfolio of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development on December 22, 2019. She also continues taking over some of the files on the administrative and institutional reform process, as well as overseeing the drafting and implementation of Egypt Vision 2030 and its update. Dr. Hala ElSaid was also awarded the Best Arab Minister Award in the first round of the Arab Government Excellence Award in November 2020.