Egypt's Minister of Local Development Manal Awad indicated that 5,130 projects have been implemented or are underway under the Local Development Programme in Upper Egypt, with a total investment of EGP 22.25bn. Awad made the announcement during a Sunday meeting with the governors of Qena, Assiut, and Minya. Abdel Fattah Serag, the governor of Sohag, attended via video conference. The meeting also included Hisham El-Helbawy, Assistant Minister of Local Development for National Projects and Director of the Local Development Programme in Upper Egypt, along with members of the Programme's coordination office. The meeting focused on reviewing the progress of the Local Development Programme, which is being implemented in collaboration between the Egyptian government and the World Bank across the governorates of Sohag, Qena, Assiut, and Minya. Discussions included the requirements for the upcoming phase to accelerate project implementation and maximize the Programme's developmental impact across all governorates. 5,130 projects implemented under local development programme in Sohag, Qena with investments of EGP 22.25bn: Awad
Awad highlighted the Programme as one of the most important national initiatives under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the regular supervision of Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, who chairs the Programme's steering committee. The Programme has received international recognition, making it a key reference point for supporting comprehensive local development at the national level. "The upcoming period will see a significant boost in leveraging the current outputs of the Programme, particularly through integration with the 'Hayah Karima' initiative," Awad said. This will be achieved by promoting balanced regional development, enhancing urban-rural linkages, empowering lower levels of local administration to provide public services, and effectively responding to citizens' needs. Additionally, the Programme will support multi-level local economic development and facilitate and stimulate investment in industrial areas. Awad also mentioned that the Programme has enhanced the competitiveness of governorates, enabling them to lead local economic development by providing and preparing the necessary infrastructure to create an investment-friendly environment. This involvement of the private sector forms a foundation that empowers local administration to lead local economic development within a supportive framework of local governance policies and systems. She instructed the governors to collaborate with the Programme's coordination office and local implementation units in their respective governorates to complete the implementation of the Programme's plans and targeted projects. Awad emphasized the importance of the achievements made by the Programme so far and the World Bank's positive outlook on the Programme. During the meeting, El-Helbawy reviewed the Programme's progress and its key components, particularly infrastructure and industrial development. He noted that the Programme's coordination office would provide all necessary support in the coming phase, following the minister's directives, to complete the necessary coordination with relevant ministries and entities to finalize the targeted projects, especially those related to industry, economic clusters, and service improvement. Additionally, the Programme will support the operation and maintenance of completed projects. The governors of Sohag and Qena emphasized the need for coordination with contractors in the targeted industrial areas to expedite project implementation in the coming period, increase occupancy rates, and coordinate with the Industrial Development Authority. They also underscored the importance of sustaining the outcomes of the Local Development Programme in Upper Egypt within the targeted governorates and continuing collaboration with the Programme's coordination office to allocate financial resources and monitor the progress of all projects to ensure their completion by October. Furthermore, they highlighted the importance of ensuring that all projects become operational and are brought into service. The governors expressed their hope for continued cooperation with the Ministry of Local Development to extend the Programme's mechanisms in the coming period and integrate them with the "Hayah Karima" initiative. They also confirmed their ongoing monitoring of project implementation rates within the Programme to ensure their swift completion and service delivery to citizens, particularly in the economic sectors, to create job opportunities and improve services, ultimately achieving citizen satisfaction with these projects.
