Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi instructed officials on Monday to speed up work on the New Delta agricultural project and advance new land reclamation initiatives as part of national efforts to strengthen food security, the presidency said. Presidential spokesperson Mohamed El-Shennawy stated that Al-Sisi met with Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hani Sweilam; presidential adviser for urban planning General Amir Sayed Ahmed; Armed Forces Engineering Authority head General Walid Mohamed Aref; and Bahaa El-Ghannam, executive director of the "Future of Egypt" sustainable development project. The meeting reviewed progress on the northern water-supply corridor for the New Delta project, which is designed to maximise water-use efficiency and support large-scale agricultural expansion. Sweilam presented updates on the 166-kilometre agricultural drainage-water conveyance system supplying the New Delta station, noting that implementation has reached roughly 85% and includes 12 lifting stations. Al-Sisi directed that construction proceed on schedule and reaffirmed the need to strictly prevent encroachments on the River Nile. El-Shennawy added that the president underscored the importance of close coordination between government entities and the Future of Egypt project to boost agricultural production. He also called for expanding private-sector participation in agricultural infrastructure. According to the statement, Ghannam outlined new agricultural development plans, including reclamation projects in Al-Khufra and along the Dakhla–Owaynat road that are expected to launch early next year. He added that feasibility studies are under way for an agricultural project in Senegal, in addition to others being explored in further African countries.
