President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Wednesday oversaw the swearing-in of a new deputy prime minister, ministers, and deputy ministers at the presidential headquarters in Heliopolis, in a reshuffle that saw last-minute changes.
After Egypt’s House of Representatives approved Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly’s cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday night—leaving the defense portfolio untouched— Lt. Gen. Ashraf Salem Zaher was sworn in on Wednesday as minister of defense and military production, replacing Gen. Abdel Mageed Saqr.
Article 234 of the constitution, amended in 2019, outlines a unique mechanism for appointing Egypt’s defense minister. Unlike other cabinet positions, which require parliamentary approval, the defense portfolio is subject to a different process: the appointment must be endorsed by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
Overall, the reshuffle focused on the defense ministry and portfolios related to investment, planning, housing, industry, and communications. A new deputy prime minister post for economic development was created, and Hussein Eissa was appointed as Madbouly’s only deputy.
El-Sisi also issued a decision abolishing the Ministry of the Public Business Sector, which manages a large portfolio of state-owned companies.The presidency said Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly will be responsible for issuing the necessary decisions to manage the implications of the move.
According to Asharq Business, the ministry oversees 146 state-owned companies operating across various sectors, representing about 26% of the 561 state-owned companies as of July 2025.
Among the reshuffle’s notable changes, Mahmoud Fawzy left the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, contrary to widespread expectations. Counselor Hany Hanna Sedra, a former member of the Supreme Judicial Council and former assistant justice minister for international cooperation, took over after the portfolio was narrowed to parliamentary affairs without political communication responsibilities.
The reshuffle also reduced the powers of Kamel Al-Wazir, who will handle the transport portfolio only, after serving as minister of transport and industry and deputy prime minister for industrial development.
Khaled Abdel Ghaffar was likewise assigned the Health Ministry only, after serving as deputy prime minister for human development.
Meeting of the deputy prime minister, newly appointed ministers, and deputy ministers with El-Sisi after taking the constitutional oath, Feb. 11, 2026Diaa Rashwan was appointed Minister of State for Media, reviving a portfolio that had existed as a Ministry of Information until its abolition in 2014 and later reintroduced in a different form when Osama Heikal served as minister of state for media from 2016 until his resignation in April 2021.
Alongside the separation of the transport and industry portfolios, the reshuffle also split planning and international cooperation, which had been combined, moving international cooperation under the Foreign Affairs Ministry led by Badr Abdelatty.
The reshuffle did not include several key ministries, including finance, interior, and petroleum.
