The Egyptian government started documenting the number of refugees residing on its territory with the aim of determining the financial costs that the State should bear for supporting them.
Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli affirmed on Monday the importance of documenting the number of refugees in the country and assessing their contribution in this regard to offer the services they need in the various sectors.
The premier’s remarks came at a meeting to review the contribution of the Egyptian state to sponsoring its guests of different nationalities, in the presence of several ministers and senior State officials.
Egypt is receiving more than nine million refugees from 133 countries, according to some international estimates.
During the meeting, Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar spoke about the health services offered to the refugees by the Egyptian State.
He said the refugee population consists of 50.4 percent males and 49.6 percent females.
In addition, the Minister said 56 percent of the refugees reside in five key governorates: Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Dakahlia, and Damietta.
Also, Abdel Ghaffar said 60 percent of refugees have resided in Egypt for a decade, and 6 percent have integrated into Egyptian society in the past 15 years.
He noted that 37 percent of the immigrant population is engaged in stable employment within established companies.
According to Adel Amer, Director of the Egyptian Centre for Political, Economic, and Social Studies, “The Egyptian government is documenting the number of refugees to identify the financial costs of hosting them under the country’s difficult economic conditions, and to urge the international community to pay its share of such costs.”
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the cost of hosting refugees is heavy for Egypt in light of its budget deficit.
“Egypt has the right to receive financial support from major countries and international organizations to be able to continue hosting those refugees,” Amer noted.
Professor of Political Science at the American University in Cairo, Dr. Noha Bakr, also told Asharq Al-Awsat that “major countries and regional organizations such as the European Union should consider this file,” adding that the World Bank must have a role in financing refugee-related projects at a reduced cost.
Egypt is in the midst of an economic crisis with surging inflation rates due to a dramatic slide of its currency, which contributed to a continued hike in the prices of basic goods and services.
