A woman’s right to claim any amount will be forfeited if she gives birth to a third child Hala El-Said, minister of planning and economic development, said the project seeks to improve the quality of life of Egyptian citizens CAIRO: To control population growth, the Egyptian government has announced an annual incentive of 1,000 Egyptian pounds ($32) for married women aged 21 to 45 who have two children or fewer. They will receive the accumulated amount when they turn 45, provided they adhere to all project conditions and periodic follow-ups. The accumulated amount for each married woman with two children or fewer will be calculated based on her age when she joined the program. A woman’s right to claim any amount will be forfeited if she gives birth to a third child. Hala El-Said, minister of planning and economic development, said the project seeks to improve the quality of life of Egyptian citizens by controlling population growth and enhancing demographic characteristics. “Our strategy is twofold: first, to provide financial incentives for Egyptian women to curb population growth, and second, to ensure that every woman and every child receives a comprehensive package of health, education and economic services to promote growth and human dignity,” she added. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the National Project for the Development of the Egyptian Family, launched by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in February 2022, aims to improve demographic characteristics, such as education, health and job opportunities, in addition to controlling population growth. According to the latest data, the population of Egypt is about 104,578,320 people. The Cairo governorate ranks first in terms of population. Egypt ranked first in terms of population in the North Africa region, with 104.2 million, and third in the continent behind Nigeria and Ethiopia, according to a report released in November 2022 by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics. According to CAPMAS, Egypt’s population represents about 7.3 percent that of Africa and 1.3 percent of the world’s population. The country ranks 14th in terms of the world population. Earlier, El-Sisi warned that if the current population growth rates continued, Egypt’s population would increase from 101.5 million in 2020 to 150 million by 2030 and to around 193-194 million by 2050. “We need EGP 16 trillion per year to spend on an Egypt with 100 million citizens and would need to double this figure to spend on an Egypt with 195 million,” he said.