14 February 2017•Update: 15 February 2017
CAIRO
Egypt’s parliament on Tuesday approved a cabinet reshuffle that will see nine government ministers replaced, according to Egyptian state media.
Government portfolios that will be affected reportedly include the ministries of agriculture; legal and parliamentary affairs; supply and trade; local development; planning and administrative reform; higher education and scientific research; and transport.
The ministries of investment and international cooperation, meanwhile, will be merged into a single ministry, as will the ministries of education and technical education.
It is the third time for the government of Prime Minister Sharif Ismail to be reshuffled since being drawn up almost a year and a half ago.
In a press statement issued Monday evening, Ismail said the move was aimed at "achieving the goals outlined in the current government’s economic reform program".
Ismail’s government has faced mounting criticism over Egypt’s severe economic situation, which has recently seen a major currency devaluation and skyrocketing commodity prices.
Late last year, the Egyptian pound lost almost half its value after the central bank devalued the currency in an effort to rein in a flourishing black market for dollars.
Since 2011, Egypt has faced a crippling economic crisis caused mainly by acute hard-currency shortages in the local market and declines in tourism, foreign investment and exports, the result of ongoing political turmoil.
