Egypt opens forum on Upper Egypt development program experience

CAIRO – 27 January 2025: Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly witnessed the opening of "Local Administration Reform and Empowerment Forum: Lessons from the UELDP (Upper Egypt Local Development Program) Experience" in the New Administrative Capital.

The conference comes as the first phase of the World Bank–backed UELDP concludes, celebrating the tangible achievements made on the ground and exchange views on the next steps.

It represents the launch of an integrated national path aimed at reforming and empowering the local administration system, bringing together the government and its private sector partners to enhance governance and improve the quality of local services.

 

The event began with the screening of a documentary film that captures 7 years of continuous and diligent work in the Upper Egypt governorates of Qena, Sohag, Assuit, and Minya.

The film revealed how these governorates have transformed from having inadequate infrastructure and industrial zones to becoming integrated projects with record occupancy rates.

The transformation also created thousands of jobs and led to increased citizen satisfaction, while enhancing the investment climate to make it more attractive and sustainable.

The film highlighted that more than 396,000 direct and indirect job opportunities were created, 12,000 small and medium-sized projects received financial and technical support, and more than 8.3 million citizens directly benefited from improved roads.

Additionally, the cost of implementing infrastructure projects in these governorates amounted to LE 32 billion.

Broad Attendance

A wide range of ministers, governors, senior officials, and experts from Egypt and abroad are attending the conference, along with representatives from international financial institutions, UN agencies, the private sector, and national and international specialists.

 

Stephane Gimbert, Regional Director for Egypt, Yemen, and Djibouti at the World Bank Group, a key partner in the Upper Egypt development program, also attended.

In a speech during the forum, Gimbert thanked the United Kingdom for its contributions and praised the Egyptian government for leading an ambitious public-private initiative.

He also commended the governors involved for delivering tangible results, noting that the program has created numerous employment opportunities for youth and women.

Attending the forum, Mark Bryson-Richardson, the British Ambassador to Cairo, expressed his pleasure at seeing private sector partners, particularly women who have achieved notable success in the program.

The ambassador commended the government’s leadership of the ambitious initiative as an important step toward promoting decentralization, inclusive growth, and development, in line with Egypt’s Vision 2030.

 

MENA contributed to the report.