Egypt’s Economic Development Minister Othman Mohamed Othman said that the Egyptian government managed to cut down abject poverty rates to 20 percent over the past few years, when the average of an individual’s spending was lower than US$1.25 per day
Othman’s statements were delivered yesterday during a celebration of the issuing of the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals (MDG) report. The event was attended by James W. Rawly, the UN’s representative in Egypt.
othman said “The new report will mark an end to the unjustified misunderstanding of poverty rates"
He added that "Poverty rates were down to less than half what they were in the nineties"
"Upper Egypt remains the most underdeveloped and requires intensive efforts for development by the government," said Othman.
Mwanwhile, Egypt's government said earlier this year that the poverty rate in 2010 jumped to 23.4 percent, up from 20 percent the previous year.
The poverty rate in Egypt has persisted despite the growth in other economic indicators such as the gross domestic product (GDP).
The issue has prompted constant questioning of subsidies policies, which haven’t translated directly into poverty reduction.
