President El-Sisi Meets with PM and Several Ministers and Officials

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met today with Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Planning and Economic Development Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Local Development Mr. Mahmoud Shaarawy, Minister of Trade and Industry Mrs. Nevine Gamea, and Governor of Sohag Tarek El-Feky, as well as Governor of Qena Mr. Ashraf Al-Daoudi.

The Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency stated that, during the meeting, the latest developments in the Upper Egypt Local Development Program in Qena and Sohag governorates were presented.

The President gave directives for regularly evaluating the performance and outcomes of Upper Egypt development efforts with the aim of promoting the mechanisms and discovering the underlying development opportunities in the fields of agriculture, handicrafts and distinguished products for which the people of Upper Egypt are famous. The President also emphasized on the importance of developing an integrated promotional program to enhance the quality of these products and improve their marketing performance locally and internationally. EGP 50 million would be allocated from Tahya Misr (Long Live Egypt) Fund for that promotional program.

The Spokesman stated that they discussed the most prominent axes of the Upper Egypt Local Development Program, which is carried out in cooperation with the World Bank and in coordination between the various concerned government agencies. This program aims to advance development in Sohag and Qena, particularly through supporting the competitiveness of economic sectors, developing industrial zones and creating a favorable business environment for investors. The project also aims at enhancing institutional development of work systems, improving public service delivery, strengthening the role of information and communication technology, and developing local infrastructure, capabilities and resources so as to support the two governorates’ ability to manage development and attract investments.

The Minister of Planning and Economic Development presented the government's efforts aimed at developing the governorates of Upper Egypt. The volume of government investments directed towards the development of Upper Egypt during the past five years amounted to about EGP 160 billion; i.e. nearly 20% of the total government investments, EGP 41 billion of which were allocated to the governorates of Sohag and Qena where 10 % of Egypt’s population live.

In this context, Mr. Mahmoud Shaarawy presented the implementation status of Upper Egypt Local Development Program. He pointed out that the total number of projects funded in the first phase of the program is about 3707 projects in the two governorates. The program has also allocated a budget to support precautionary and health-related measures to deal with the spread of coronavirus in Sohag and Qena.

Mr. Shaarawy also indicated that the first phase plan for the projects aimed at establishing facilities at the targeted industrial areas, is being devised. The projects implemented by the program in the two governorates contributed to providing about 250,000 job opportunities for their people.

The President called for speeding up the implementation of the infrastructure projects within the framework of the program, including road, sanitation, electricity and drinking water projects. In this context, His Excellency called for devoting attention to promoting the concept of sustainable rural development and integrated urban development for the good of the people of the governorates and villages in Upper Egypt.