Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi issued a presidential decree on Monday appointing members of the board of trustees for the "Tahya Misr" (Long Live Egypt) fund. The decree stipulates that six experienced public figures are to be appointed as members of the board. The appointed members include former Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, businessman Naguib Sawiris, CBC channel owner Mohamed al-Amin, Major General Mohamed Amin Ibrahim Nasr, and Basil al-Baz. The presidency officially launched an initiative on July 1 to encourage Egyptians to donate money to the Tahya Misr fund. The fund was established to provide an additional source of funding for public projects other than the state budget. In November, Sisi issued a decree granting the fund legal personality for the purpose of allocating its money to services and developmental projects. According to the decree, the fund's board of trustees was to be headed by the Prime Minister, Presidential Spokesman Alaa Youssef said. Youssef added in a statement that the fund's headquarters will be in Cairo, with the possibility of creating other branches nationwide. The fund will be sponsored by the president and working under the cabinet's supervision, as the November decree. Sisi has repeatedly urged Egyptians to donate money to the fund. Speaking at a ceremony on August 5, Sisi said the Tahya Misr (Long Live Egypt) fund needs at least 100 billion Egyptian pounds “on the side.” The president said he will keep reiterating his call for contributing to the fund, adding that Egyptians are “embarrassing” him by not being responsive enough. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/118626.aspx
