Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly accepted a plan submitted by Minister of State for Information, Osama Heikal, during a cabinet’s meeting on 26 January 2020, which includes a number of measures to reduce financial burden of Egyptian national newspapers. The measures also included halting new appointments in these institutions, and extending contracts of employees over the age of 60 only upon the approval of the “Supreme Council of the Press”.
The plan also includes increasing the price of newspapers and reducing the copies of printed publications, which do not sell more than 5,000 copies.
The prime minister has also ordered an inventory be taken of national papers’ assets including buildings and land as part of a plan to sell them and repay their debts.