Dr. Tarek Wafiq, Minister of Housing and New Urban Communities emphasized that the Ministry is currently working on redistributing the population, moving them out of the valley, given that the population is concentrated in no more than 6% of Egypt's space. He also pointed out that the Ministry seeks to establish new development centers based on economic and environmental aspects, noting that the next period will witness a boom in development, particularly in the Suez Canal region, the North Coast, in addition to other areas. This comes in the framework of the national strategic plan. The Ministry is now concerned with developing the Suez Canal region, to become an international logisitical center, he said, adding that two pivotal global ports will be held in East Port Said and Ain Sokhna. This was stated during the Minister's meeting with the Turkish ambassador in Egypt Hussein Awni and some Turkish businessmen. The meeting came as part of the Ministry's plan for attracting foreign investments in Egypt. To add to that, the Minister explained that Qatar will pump billions of pounds as investments in these development projects. Wafiq added that a number of industrial projects will be launched in Suez Canal, including the implementation of the Technology Valley which will be built on 3500 acres out of a total of 16500 acres, the Center for ships and containers manufacture and maintenance to be held in Port Said and the North West Gulf of Suez, in addition to establishing a major industrial zone in East Port Said. Moreover, the Minister presented a number of investment projects to be held by the New Urban Communities Authority before the Turkish delegation. These projects include the high-speed rail that links Cairo to the 10th of Ramadan city, the fast tram in the 6th of October city, and other projects. The national strategic plan also aims to make best use of the North Coast not only in the summer but throughout the whole year, given that this spot is up to become a nucleus of huge investments.
