Ministry of Planning Allocates EGP 8.6 Billion for 439 Development Projects in Beheira Governorate for FY 2023/2024

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development has announced the Citizen Investment Plan for Beheira Governorate for the current fiscal year 2023/2024. This announcement continues the tradition of releasing the Citizen Investment Plan for all governorates nationwide for the fifth consecutive year. The goal is to raise awareness among citizens about the priorities and directions of the Sustainable Development Plan for the fiscal year 2023/2024 and its role in achieving Egypt's Vision 2030.

Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, emphasized that the updated version of Egypt's Vision 2030 places utmost importance on ensuring citizen participation in development decision-making. This approach benefits individuals, who are the core of development, and aims to achieve spatial justice, reduce geographical disparities, empower local communities economically and socially, and provide essential services across all regions to foster genuine community development. These principles align with the General State Planning Law No. 18 of 2022, which prioritizes enhancing stakeholder participation in the development process, encouraging scientific research and innovation, and achieving geographically, sectorally, and environmentally balanced sustainable development. Dr. El-Said added that citizen participation in the development process requires the availability of detailed data on the state's developmental plans, enabling periodic monitoring of their implementation within a comprehensive and integrated framework to promote participatory planning.

Regarding the Citizen Investment Plan for Beheira Governorate, Dr. El-Said explained that the governorate has 439 development projects, with public investments amounting to EGP 8.6 billion in the 2023/2024 plan. This represents an increase of approximately 25% over the 2022/2023 plan, excluding projects under the "Decent Life" rural development initiative.

In terms of the sectoral distribution of public investments targeted for Beheira Governorate in the 2023/2024 plan, the Ministry's report indicates that EGP 1.9 billion is allocated to the electricity sector (22%), followed by EGP 1.8 billion for the transport sector (21%). Local development investments amount to EGP 1.5 billion (17%), the housing sector receives EGP 1.1 billion (13%), and pre-university education is allocated EGP 431 million (5%). Other sectors are allocated EGP 1.8 billion (21%).

The report also highlights that 237 villages in Beheira Governorate are targeted in the first phase of the "Decent Life" initiative, benefiting 2.2 million residents, 48% of whom are female. The initiative's projects, which meet all sustainable development goals, include the construction of 40 residential buildings for vulnerable families, 10 social units, 43 agricultural service complexes, 55 ambulance points, 173 health units, 2,622 classrooms, 160 schools, 17 drinking water stations, 244 sanitation projects, 23 treatment plants, 260 mobile network towers, 168 youth centers, 42 government service complexes, 67 post offices, as well as the rehabilitation and lining of canals (170 km), and 240 road paving projects (515 km).

The plan aims to implement 96 development projects in the housing services sector in Beheira Governorate. Key targets in this sector include allocating EGP 860 million for drinking water and sanitation services. Additionally, 211 local development projects are planned, including waste recycling plants in the governorate.