Egypt's Sinai Development Authority (SDA) offered investment projects worth 10.7 billion Egyptian pounds ($588.1 million) in six governorates; Port Said, Damietta, Ismailia, Suez as well as and North and South Sinai. Some of these investment projects are under construction, while other projects will be proposed within the national projects for roads, social housing, basic facilities, and infrastructure. Mohamed El-Sakka, SDA's chairperson, said that the authority's investment in Port Said will increase to 8.2 billion pounds after the launch of a number of new projects. He told Daily News Egypt that roads and bridges investment projects in the governorate amounted to 3.7 billion pounds, with a total length of 110 km. El-Sakka further stated that the SDA implements an axis road parallel to the Suez Canal at a length of 95km, worth more than 3.5 billion pounds. He pointed out that road is 80 million wide and includes five traffic lanes, of which two are allocated for trucks, in addition to 11 bridges and 16 tunnels. The first phase of the axis road will be inaugurated in April, he noted. The Egyptian official clarified that his authority has paid 500 million pounds of compensations to the owners of lands located in the area of the road. He adding that the Armed Forces Engineering Authority implemented five service centres and two other centres to collect traffic fees. He further added that the new road will serve Damietta, Port Said, Sharq at Tafriah, Suez, and Alexandria. It also serves major roads, including the international coastal road around Port Said and Damietta, and the parallel road to Al-Salam Canal. El-Sakka said that the second phase of the project is planned to include development zones on both sides of the road, including national manufacture and logistics projects, noting that this area is promising, being located between a number of roads that facilitate transport and trade exchange. He elaborated that the cost of roads, bridges, sewage, and infrastructure projects in Port Said reached 204 million pounds. El-Sakka said the authority is working on the establishment of 24,000 units within the low-income housing project in Port Said at a cost of 4.3 billion pounds. "The housing project's first phase includes 3,909 residential units and 89 commercial units, at a cost of EGP 760 million pounds," he said. SDA is set to deliver 1,715 units of this project to the Ministry of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities. The Egyptian authority will offer additional tenders for the establishment of 20,000 housing units in south Port Said, with cost of 3.5 billion pounds. The SDA's investments in Damietta reached 180 million pounds, including road projects with 5 km-long and a cost of five million pounds, El-Sakka said. He added that the cost of the social housing project in the governorate hit EP 175 million pounds and includes 35 buildings. These buildings involve 948 fully equipped units. "We have achieved investments in South Sinai worth one billion pounds," El-Sakka stated. These investments comprise roads projects in Dahab, Tur, Nabq, Sharm el-Sheikh, and Ras Sidr cities. These projects are 90 km-long with a cost of 172.5 million pounds. El-Sakka said that the Bedouin housing projects include 150 houses in Tur and St. Catherine cities, at a cost of 24.5 million pounds. The authority implements service buildings and projects at a cost of 408.5m, including drinking water, sewage and electricity stations, as well as roads serving about 600 pieces of land. The cost of electricity projects in the South Sinai governorate records EGP 99m, while the comprehensive development projects, which include 15 farms on an area of 100 acres allocated to fish farms, retail outlets, and occasions centres, will cost around 96 million pounds. El-Sakka said that the authority completed the implementation of 1,500 fully equipped housing units in Ras Sidr, Abu Zenimah, Abu Rudeis, Tur, Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba, and St. Catherine, at a cost of 204 million pounds. He added that the authority's investment in Ismailia governorate reached 238 million pounds, of which 64 million pounds allocated for road projects on a length of 52.4 km, and Bedouin housing projects at a cost of 23 million pounds. Additionally, the authority builds villages in the desert extension of cities, which includes the establishment of a village in the technology valley area at a cost of 75 million pounds. El-Sakka said that the authority also implements a number of service buildings in Ismailia at a cost of three million pounds, as well as infrastructure projects and facilities worth 73 million pounds. He also pointed to the infrastructure projects carried out by the SDA on an area of 155 acres in Future City, at a cost of 97.5 million pounds. In Suez, the SDA injected investments of about 242 million pounds, of which 60 million pounds allocated for road projects on a length of 13 km and electricity lines at a cost of 12 million pounds. He added that the social housing project in Suez costs 170 million pounds and includes 47 buildings, consisting of 1,128 fully equipped units. In North Sinai, the SDA's investment projects reached 896 million pounds, including roads, social housing, Bedouin housing, and infrastructure projects. El-Sakka said that road projects in North Sinai were implemented on a total length of more than 300 km and at a cost of 400 million pounds. He added that the cost of Bedouin housing projects in the governorate amounted to 147 million pounds and that it includes 106 houses. He added that the SDA implemented electricity projects to provide power supply to the villages and cities that are most in need, including Nekhel, Hasanah, El-Arish, and Bir Al Abd, at a cost of 121 million pounds. El-Sakka said that North Sinai's share in the first and urgent phases of the social housing project reached 472 units in 25 buildings, at a cost of 75 million pounds. He pointed out that the authority has allocated around 90 million pounds for the service buildings and 69 million pounds for comprehensive development projects. El-Sakka asserted that the SDA focuses on the implementation of development projects in the Sinai Peninsula, adding that a special unit was established at the SDA to develop the Bedouin communities with special and separated funds. He explained that the Bedouin communities project included three phases; the resettlement of Bedouins near water resources, the provision of necessary services, and the turning of these communities into productive communities. He noted that the main professions of Bedouins are agriculture and herding, and the authority aims to benefit from this trait and achieve self-sustainability of these communities. El-Sakka said that the resettlement of Bedouins in Sinai includes the establishment of schools, healthcare centres, event centres, and mosques. SDA also provides training programmes, and literacy and handicrafts lessons for women. Source: Daily news
