5 million citizens benefited from the local development program in Upper Egypt: Heba Mogheeb

Egypt’s Ministry of Planning and Economic Development held on Wednesday a press conference headed by Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning to announce the details of the ministry’s success in including four additional Egyptian initiatives on the “SDG Good Practices” platform.


The listed projects were the Decent Life (Hayah Karima) presidential initiative, the Rowad 2030 project, the local development program in Upper Egypt, and the integrated system for preparing and following up the investment plan.

On her part, the head of the Regional Planning Sector at the Ministry, Dr. Heba Mogheeb said that the local development program in Upper Egypt is distinguished by providing radical solutions to the development challenges facing Upper Egypt.

She explained that the program provides one billion dollars to the governorates of Qena and Sohag in cooperation with the World Bank and the Ministry of Local Development.


Mogheeb added that the program comes within the framework of Egypt's Vision 2030 and its goals, including poverty reduction, gender equality, job opportunities, and investment opportunities in Upper Egypt.


Mogheeb added that the most important goal addressed by the program is the goal of providing sustainable and balanced regional development at the level of Egypt, which it addresses by increasing financial allocations to the two governorates, including the goal of providing clean water, providing safe sanitation, and reducing unemployment and poverty rates.


On the achievements of the Local Development Program in Upper Egypt, Mogheeb explained that the program has achieved many achievements to date, including the implementation of 3,700 projects in the governorates of Qena and Sohag, and the paving of 400 km of roads.

She added that the modernization of the infrastructure in the industrial zones led to an increase in their occupancy by 14%, which represents a very good percentage of industrial development in Upper Egypt and the availability of industries and factories in Upper Egypt, in addition to achieving the benefit of 138 villages from improving water and sanitation services.


Mogheeb added that the services provided by the program benefited 3,300 local companies and 5 million Egyptian citizens, representing 50% of that percentage for Upper Egypt women.


The Ministry of Planning is currently working on the continuation of the financing equation that takes into account poverty rates, the population, and the geographical locations of all governorates, in addition to the Ministry's work to study all successful institutional reform practices implemented by the program.


All investments directed to Upper Egypt are also put into high-quality projects that achieve a greater return at the development level and the citizen level, according to Mogheeb