Assistant Minister Chairs Committee Meeting on Proposed Development Projects

Wael Ziyada, Assistant Minister of Planning and Economic Development for Economic Affairs and Investment, chaired a meeting of an expert committee to study proposed development projects, which discussed initial concepts to establish a general framework and identify preliminary directions for several developmental projects in various areas such as island development, exploration, and gas transportation.

The committee meeting was attended by Dr. Hisham El-Halbawi, Assistant Minister of Local Development for National Projects, Mohamed Fahmi, Assistant Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for Economic Affairs, Dr. Abdel Khaleq Abdel Rahman, Assistant Minister of Housing for Technical Affairs, Brigadier General/ Abdel Basit El-Saieh, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Managing Director of the Egyptian National Petroleum Exploration and Development Company, Yassin Mohamed, Deputy Chairman of the Egyptian Holding Company for Natural Gas (EGAS), Dr. Farouk Saleh, Chairman of the Tourism and Civil Aviation Committee at the Egyptian Businessmen's Association, Eng. Mohamed Ghattas, Head of the Central Department for Research and Studies at the Egyptian General Authority for the Protection of the Beaches, Dr. Ahmed Abu Sariya, Head of the Central Department for Infrastructure at the General Authority for Urban Planning, and Abdel Mokhtar Rashidi, Head of the Central Finance Department at the Ministry of Finance.

During the meeting, the committee defined tasks and work mechanisms, and set a timeline for the agenda, aiming to submit its final report in March. Participants also presented their initial concepts regarding the aforementioned areas, in addition to studying the proposed economic and investment returns expected from the development and investment of the Nile and maritime islands and surrounding areas, and the possibility of implementing them through local and foreign partnerships, enhancing the marketing value of those islands.

Wael Ziyada reviewed the efforts of the Ministry of Planning to make evidence-based decisions to support the committee's work, indicating several side meetings to identify key development projects and outline a roadmap for the committee's work, emphasizing that the committee brings together specialists from various sectors to discuss proposed projects and present multiple and diverse perspectives to establish a general framework for implementing those projects.

Furthermore, Wael Ziyada emphasized the importance of leveraging previous international experiences to reach the best practices and maximize the returns from these proposals, in line with Egyptian culture and capabilities.

On his part, Dr. Hisham El-Halbawi, Assistant Minister of Local Development for National Projects, highlighted the necessity of unifying procedures for dealing with Egyptian Nile and maritime islands to maximize their investment returns and make the most out of them, stressing the importance of determining the suitability of islands for development and the appropriate type of development for each island.

Yassin Mohamed, Deputy Chairman of EGAS, outlined the efforts of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources to transform Egypt into a global center for gas liquefaction and export, emphasizing the need to shift towards using renewable energy sources.