Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation Reviews Details of Public Investments for South Sinai Governorate

As part of Dr. Rania Al-Mashat's visit to South Sinai to follow up on a number of projects…

Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation Reviews Details of Public Investments for South Sinai Governorate

EGP 3.6 billion in government investments allocated for the development of South Sinai in the 2025/2026 plan.

 Education, Health, and Infrastructure Development are top priorities for investment allocation.

As part of the visit of H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, to South Sinai Governorate to inspect a number of development projects; the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation is reviewing the details of the investment plan for the governorate within the development plan for the fiscal year 2025/2026.

The Ministry's report revealed that the total government investments directed towards the development of South Sinai Governorate in the 2025/2026 plan amount to approximately EGP 3.6 billion. The transportation and storage sector accounts for the largest share of total investments at about 20.5%, followed by the health services sector at 18.7%, then the water sector at 13.8%, and education at 12.4%, in addition to the sectors of agriculture, construction and building, electricity, real estate activities, sanitation, tourism, and others.

The Minister of Planning, Economic Development emphasized that the development of the Sinai Peninsula represents a strategic priority for the Egyptian State, given its geographical, economic, and security importance. She mentioned that the development efforts in Sinai are part of Egypt's Vision 2030, which aims to achieve comprehensive and balanced development across all regions of the Republic. 

Dr. Al-Mashat noted that the state is working to enhance infrastructure, develop basic services, and stimulate investments in productive sectors in Sinai, which contributes to creating sustainable job opportunities and improving the living standards of citizens.

Dr. Al-Mashat further highlighted that one of the main pillars of  “Egypt’s Narrative for Economic Development" is regional planning and localizing development in the governorates, which is one of the most important pillars the State is currently working on, with the aim of achieving comprehensive and balanced development that extends to all parts of the Republic, especially the border governorates and North and South Sinai. 

The Minister pointed out that through the funding formula and the programs and performance methodology, just distribution of investments is taken into account to advance their efficiency and ensure maximum possible benefit. The funding formula relies on a set of objective indicators and criteria that reflect the development priorities in each governorate, thereby contributing to improving the quality of services, raising the standard of living, and achieving balanced development on the ground.

The Ministry's report underscored the most important development programs targeted for implementation in South Sinai during 2025/2026, pointing to the Agriculture and Irrigation sector, which includes projects to complete the establishment of a triple-purpose research station, complete the production of sugar beet seeds, inventory, classify, and evaluate the lands of national agricultural projects, complete flood protection works, complete the drilling and equipping of wells, and establish a seawater desalination plant in the cities of (Dahab, Nuweiba). This is in addition to establishing water networks, pumping stations, and ground reservoirs in the Al-Jubail and Al-Wadi areas in El-Tor, developing three pumping stations in Saint Catherine city, establishing a ground reservoir in Dahab city, establishing the Southern Water Accumulation Reservoir in Sharm El Sheikh, as well as completing 2 desalination plants in Sharm El Sheikh, and constructing a sea intake for the seawater desalination plant and for the Al-Shabab and Nabq stations in Sharm El Sheikh.

Regarding education services in the governorate, the Ministry's report clarified that they include projects for the establishment of King Salman bin Abdulaziz University, the implementation of competencies in technical schools, the construction and equipping of basic education classrooms, the construction and equipping of distinguished school classrooms, the development and efficiency upgrade of educational directorates, the rehabilitation and equipping of general and technical education schools. These projects also include the establishment of the New El-Tor Complex in Toshka (Primary/Preparatory/Secondary), the Al-Salam Complex (Kindergarten/Primary/Preparatory/Secondary) for boys and girls, completing the Abu Zenima Institute (Kindergarten/Primary/Preparatory/Secondary) for boys and girls in Abu Zenima, and the rehabilitation and equipping of buildings (the Directorate and Educational Administrations, the Faculty of Commerce building in Abu Redis, the buildings for both the Faculty of Education and Arts in Abu Redis, and the Faculty of Science building in Abu Redis).

In the transportation and storage sector, the report noted projects for the development and efficiency upgrade of the following roads: El-Nafaq / Taba Road, Dahab / Nuweiba Road, Sharm / Dahab Road, Nuweiba / Al-Naqb "Wadi Watir" Road, completing the construction of Dahab roads, and the construction, paving, efficiency upgrade, dualization, and lighting of the road from Nabi Saleh checkpoint to Saint Catherine Airport, and other projects for the construction, paving, and efficiency upgrade of roads in the governorate. 

The report also referred to the Construction and Building sector, which includes projects for the construction of 160 Bedouin houses and their services in Sharm El Sheikh center and its dependencies, completing the establishment of 9 development clusters, 120 Bedouin houses and their services in Taba center and its dependencies, and 150 Bedouin houses and their services in El-Tor center and its dependencies.

The Ministry's report highlighted the projects in the Drinking Water sector, which include the replacement and renewal of water stations and networks in Abu Zenima, El-Tor, Dahab, Ras Sedr, Sharm El Sheikh, Taba, and Saint Catherine, the establishment of the Southern Water Accumulation Reservoir in Sharm El Sheikh, the establishment of 4 water accumulation reservoirs in the cities of (Ras Sedr - Abu Zenima - Abu Redis - El-Tor), the establishment of a seawater desalination plant in Sharm El Sheikh city, in addition to establishing a seawater desalination plant in Taba city, the second phase of dualizing the El-Nafaq / Abu Redis water line for a length of 168 km, increasing the capacity of the West El-Nafaq water station from 35 to 70 thousand cubic meters per day, the Ras Masalla water pumping station, and the Ras Malab water pumping station, constructing a ground reservoir in Dahab city, constructing a sea intake for the Al-Shabab and Nabq stations, the replacement and renewal of water stations and networks in Abu Redis, emergency drinking water works in North and South Sinai, and 2 desalination plants in Sharm El Sheikh.

The report also outlined the sanitation projects in South Sinai, which include the replacement and renewal of sanitation stations and networks in the centers of Taba, El-Tor, Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab, Saint Catherine, Nuweiba, Abu Redis, Abu Zenima, and Ras Sedr, the rehabilitation of the Dahab treatment plant, the construction of the sanitation project in Taba city, the construction of the sanitation project for underprivileged areas in the Dahab area, in addition to the expansions of the El-Tor and Sharm El Sheikh sewage treatment plants, and the provision of external utilities (drinking water and sanitation) for social housing blocks in the governorate's cities.

The report also noted health services in the governorate, which include completing the construction of Abu Redis General Hospital, Dahab Central Hospital, and Saint Catherine Hospital. 

The Ministry's report also referred to other services in South Sinai, which include completing the project to address the collapse of the Om El Sayed plateau in South Sinai, the development and equipping of the vocational training center in El-Tor, the development and restoration of archaeological sites, the excavation, exploration, and documentation of Islamic, Coptic, and Jewish archaeological sites, the lighting of Dahab city streets, completing the periodic contract project for the management and operation of the Marine Pollution Control Center in Sharm El Sheikh and improving water quality, the project to transform Sharm El Sheikh into a green city, and other paving and lighting works in the governorate's cities and districts.