The online start-up workshop presented the "Building a COVID-19 Rapid Response and Ag-Foresight Department in Egypt" project’s activities and future plans, including collaborative discussion and brainstorming with stakeholders on the most relevant issues and policies in the agricultural sector’s resilience during COVID-19.

1. This project is funded
by the European Union
Planning Workshop
Building A Covid-19 Rapid Response & Agricultural-Foresight Department In Egypt
Overview of IFPRI activities with MPED and MALR on which the project will build on
Mariam Raouf
Senior Research Associate
IFPRI
February 2nd, 2021

2. Foresight models are important for policy planning
Example: IFPRI’s COVID-19 impact analysis with the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development
• IFPRI and MPED have collaborated to estimate the impact of Covid-19
crisis on the Egyptian Economy.
• H.E. Minister Hala Said has stressed the importance of IFPRI’s support
to the ministry during a recent symposium on Beyond COVID-19.
• Supported by the analytical evidence, the government has taken bold actions to
support the economy and vulnerable groups:
• During the first half of FY 2020/21, the implementation of the government
investment plan would significantly improve economic performance. GDP
growth rate is expected to turn positive under the fast recovery scenario.
• Large-scale public investment program is essential for a return to positive,
short-term growth in Egypt’s economy

3. Trainings and evidence-based priority setting
Activities with MALR
 Supporting MOALR in various areas, including assessing the costs and benefits of alternative
investments options in the context of the new agricultural strategy 2030 and related investment plan.
 Conducting introductory online training of several staff members of MOALR/Cairo University in the
area of economic modeling.
Setting investment priorities: Presentation of AIDA and Egypt
investment analysis, January 30th, 2020. Photo taken by
Yumna Kassim
CGE Modelling and the Formulation of Agricultural Policy in
Egypt workshop, January 26th, 2020, Photo by Dalia Elsabbagh

4. AIDA as a tool for post-COVID investment prioritization
AIDA is an online tool developed by IFPRI,
IFAD and CGIAR-PIM for analyzing the
economywide impacts of investments in
the agri-food system.
• An economywide (CGE) model that
captures
 all components of the agri-food
system and
 linkages between sectors or
activities, factors, households,
government & rest of world, and
 sub-national regions
• to assess the impact of agricultural
investments on
 economic growth, job creation and
household welfare
• The model captures both
 an investment’s direct impacts, as
well as
 all its indirect impacts or spillover
effects on the rest of the economy.
English: https://aida-egypt.ifpri.org/#/en/national
Arabic: https://aida-egypt.ifpri.org/#/ar/national