Market regulation, law enforcement top government agenda: Egypt's PM

Zawya

05-05-2025

Egypt - Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly chaired a meeting of the Governors' Council on Sunday, with Minister of Local Development Manal Awad, provincial governors, and security directors in attendance—some joining via video conference.
The session focused on critical governance issues including illegal construction, land encroachments, market oversight, and preparations for upcoming elections.
Madbouly emphasized the urgent need for daily, multi-level coordination, particularly between governors and security directors. He underscored the state's progress in combating building violations and encroachments on agricultural land, reaffirming a zero-tolerance policy moving forward.
He highlighted the effectiveness of Egypt's spatial change monitoring system in identifying early-stage violations, stressing that no new legalizations will be allowed under the recently enacted reconciliation law. He instructed governors to take swift action: either address violations immediately through local authorities or coordinate with security forces when necessary.
'How we deal with construction and land violations will directly impact each governor's performance evaluation,' Madbouly said. 'We will not return to the cycle of violation followed by reconciliation. This issue must be resolved once and for all—for the sake of the nation and its people.'
With elections on the horizon, the Prime Minister called for heightened vigilance and thorough coordination among all relevant authorities. 'We must act preemptively, especially during this sensitive period,' he said. 'Every inch of agricultural land lost is a blow to our national interest.'
Madbouly also stressed the importance of market regulation, naming it a top priority alongside law enforcement. He called on governors to intensify oversight of both fixed and mobile markets, temporary stalls, and supply chains to ensure product availability at fair prices. He urged close collaboration with chambers of commerce and traders to curb monopolistic behavior, hoarding, and unjustified price increases.
Ahead of Eid al-Adha, Madbouly encouraged the expansion of 'one-day markets' to offer affordable essential goods to citizens, particularly in high-demand periods. He also directed attention to the ongoing wheat procurement campaign, urging tight supervision to facilitate smooth deliveries from farmers to official outlets.
In closing, the Prime Minister instructed governors and security leaders to establish robust daily coordination mechanisms to ensure responsive governance and improved service delivery across all governorates.
Minister Manal Awad presented updates on key files under her ministry's purview, including market price control measures, data from the spatial monitoring system, performance metrics, agricultural land protection, and the legalization of state-owned land.