Cairo: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued directives on Saturday regarding the establishment of a strategic national reserve. The order mandates a comprehensive study to secure supplies for all needs in order to address emergency scenarios. This directive emphasizes coordination across all state apparatuses and institutions. The announcement followed a meeting chaired by President Sisi, attended by Major General Mohamed Abdel Rahman Rabie, who serves as the head of the Armed Forces Operations Headquarters and the National Authority for Crisis and Disaster Management.
According to an official statement from the Presidency, the meeting also included Lieutenant General Mohamed Abdel Fattah Abu Bakr, the head of the Arab Organization for Industrialization, and Lieutenant General Hany Mahmoud, the director of the Signals Department within the Armed Forces and deputy head of the National Authority for Crisis and Disaster Management. During the session, participants reviewed the executive measures previously implemented between the National Authority for Crisis and Disaster Management and various other state bodies.
In his instructions during the gathering, President Sisi tasked the head of the National Authority for Crisis and Disaster Management with leading the study on procuring a strategic stockpile. He further ordered that all institutions must expedite the process of inputting their specific data into the management system operated by the National Authority. The President stressed the critical necessity of ensuring the accuracy of data submitted to the authority to build a reliable database that facilitates correct decision-making. He also highlighted the requirement to maintain strict confidentiality regarding the circulation of this information.
This development occurs against a backdrop of recent economic adjustments. On Thursday, the Egyptian Cabinet approved a draft resolution outlining a plan to rationalize public spending. This plan covers nineteen items and includes five exceptions, valid for a period of three months with the possibility of extension. The objective is to mitigate the economic repercussions of regional tensions, particularly amid escalating conflicts involving the United States and Iran, as well as hostilities between the Houthi movement and Saudi Arabia. These geopolitical shifts have contributed to growing disruptions in navigation and energy supplies in the region.
The proposed measures include reducing electricity consumption and government fuel usage, postponing new projects, and restricting expenditures in foreign currencies, travel, and purchases. However, essential sectors and services remain exempt from these restrictions. In a related context unrelated to the crisis meeting, President Sisi had previously emphasized the need to upgrade the technical insurance system. He called for aligning with modern technological systems in the manufacturing and development of technical equipment and vehicles to serve both military and civilian sectors. The goal is to achieve self-sufficiency in various spare parts. Additionally, he directed efforts toward achieving self-sufficiency in manufacturing military vehicles and equipment, including the capacity to export certain models to friendly and allied nations.
