Strategies and Suggestions to Reduce Poverty in Egypt
Introduction:
Poverty has spread into the whole globe, and most nations are suffering from lack of food
and basic needs. One out of two children in the world are considered poor, and 3 billion
people live with less than $2.50/day (Causes of Poverty, 2012). Sometimes it is easy to
blame poor people for their situation because some are accusing them of being lazy, but
most of the times the governments in poor countries are the one who blame. However, it is
essential for the governments around the world to makeshift and end this problem. Egypt is
one of the countries whose people suffer from poverty. In order for a country to develop, it
is important to reduce the percentage of poverty in that country, and Egypt is one of the
countries that have to initiate and reduce poverty. In 2010, the percentage of people who
lives on less than $1.25 a day is around 25% of the whole population (Poverty and Equity,
2011). Poverty is one of the major reasons that led Egyptians to revolt against Hosni
Mubarak who was the president of Egypt for 30 years. Egyptians after the revolution have
high hopes on the new president Mohamed Morsi, who received 51.7% of the last
presidential elections, to lower the poverty and corruption.
While Egypt has used a number of strategies to reduce poverty, much more remains to be
accomplished. In this paper, I will provide background information on Egypt, I will
examine the extent of poverty in Egypt, I will evaluate the strategies Egypt has
implemented to reduce poverty, and I will provide suggestions for additional approaches to
reduce poverty in Egypt.
Background on Egypt
The Arab Republic of Egypt is located in northern Africa bordering Palestine, the
Mediterranean Sea, Sudan, the Red Sea, and Libya (The World Factbook, 2012). Egypt has
27 provinces and it has one of the highest populations in the Arab world. Around 80 people
million live in Egypt, and Cairo has the highest population among all cities in Egypt with 7
million people, Cairo is also the capital of Egypt. The number of people who live in rural
areas is decreasing because they are moving to big cities looking for jobs and a better
living (Background note: Egypt, 2012). Egypt announced its independence from United
Kingdom on February 28, 1922. The Egyptian economy was based on agriculture, but on
the last two decades agriculture is about 35% of gross domestic product, and Egypt
