4B-projects underway in Upper Egypt: Min.

CAIRO – 14 October 2019: A package of projects with investments amounting to LE 4.1 billion is underway in Sohag and Qena during the current period, Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Sharawi said Monday.

Sharawi added in a statement that the first phase plan includes covering a large number of villages with integrated water and sanitation services, developing the road network, covering polluted canals and waterways, and developing the local economy.

According to the minister, the plan will be executed through raising the efficiency and annexation of industrial zones, the development of archaeological and tourist areas and the providing veterinary services.

He pointed out that the majority of these projects have already been completed and the rest are expected to be completed by June 30, 2020.

This came during a meeting between Sharawi and a delegation from the World Bank at the end of their visit to Cairo after conducting a mid-term evaluation of the local development program in Upper Egypt, partly financed by the World Bank with a loan of $500 million and a contribution from the Egyptian government worth $457 million.

The minister pointed out that the World Bank mission worked over the past two weeks, where they visited Sohag and Qena and held several meetings and workshops with Sharawi and a number of senior officials in the ministries of planning, industry and local development as well as the Office of Program Coordination.

Sharawi stated that the program aims to make a qualitative leap in development in the governorates of Qena and Sohag by intensifying government investments, creating a supportive and enabling environment for investment and economic and social development, and laying down a strong infrastructure to serve development.

The World Bank delegation commended the remarkable progress made by the program in the two governorates over the past period in competitiveness, infrastructure and services.

They also noted that the program has witnessed an improvement in the institutional framework, local management assessments, planning and development in technological centers, clusters and industrial zones, as well as in drinking water and sanitation projects and roads that have been established, significantly changing the lives of citizens in the two governorates.