CAIRO: The Minister of Transport Mohamed Mansour addressed members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt at AmCham’s first meeting of the fall, entitled “Transport in Egypt: Have We Achieved?
Mansour addressed the assembled representatives from the private sector as old friends, opening with a relieved-sounding “It’s good to be home. As a former president of AmCham and head of Al Mansour Motor Group, Mansour somewhat ruefully acknowledged his life-changing transition to the ministry four years earlier.
For the “friendly faces at AmCham, the minister chose to recite a litany of achievements made by the ministry of transport, achievements that a less sympathetic group might characterize as “too little, too late. AmCham itself proved ready to tease their former president, opening with the song “One Way Ticket to the Blues and a photo of a train.
The minister’s initial remarks seemed almost dispirited, calling the transport sector “the most challenging, even for those from the private sector who “carry DNA for success. Indulging in further transportation humor, he joked, “But there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Mansour quoted Egypt’s oft-repeated 4.7 percent growth rate and revealed that the transport sector had grown by 8.1 percent during the same period, helping to drive Egypt’s economy.
He dove into the five key priorities of the ministry: development of the national road network, the railroad system, sea ports, river transport and, finally, public transport.
He praised the development of the port system, citing that revenues from most global ports had decreased by 20 percent due to the financial crisis, while profit from Egypt’s ports grew. While ships once passed Egypt by, new development in ports such as the “jewel of East Port Said saw them include Egyptian ports on shipping itineraries.
For the railroad sector, Mansour specified that 126 carriages had been rehabilitated out of 400 total, while 52 stations had been redone. He promised that the Ramses Station would renovated by 2010 and that private companies would have the opportunity to profit from the 140,000 travelers passing through each day. He also announced that LE 200 million had been added to bonuses for Egyptian National Rail workers.
He praised the construction effort for the Metro’s Third Line, at having 90 percent of the project completed six months ahead of schedule.
“Are we there yet? he asked, and answered himself, “No.
He thanked the Ministry of Finance for essentially issuing him a blank check.
“In February 2009, [Finance Minister] Yousef Boutros-Ghali called me up and asked how much money I would need to achieve real progress in Egyptian transport. I consulted with advisers and came up with a figure: LE 1.6 billion. The next morning it was done. Since then, we’ve had trouble building roads fast enough to keep up with the funds available.
He contextualized his presentation as intended to “whet the appetites of bankers and investors, apparently to help the ministry continue its efforts. The intention to lure money was mirrored by the lavish lunch and Four Seasons’ venue chosen to host the assembled members and corporate sponsors of AmCham.
“Get involved, the minister urged, “transportation is a main player.
The presentation of the ministry’s achievements coincides with the release of a report on the transportation sector compiled by APL, a member of the Singapore-based NOR shipping group, titled “Connecting Egypt. Both the report and the minister’s speech seem geared to attract attention to prime investment opportunities and strong pro-business support from the government.
After taking full responsibility for his ministry’s achievements, Mansour backpedaled slightly when questioned on less satisfactory aspects of the transport sector.
Questioned by Curt Ferguson, executive vice president of AmCham partner, Coca Cola, about the number of traffic accidents that occur on Egyptian roads, the minister explained that only 7 percent of accidents are due to the roads themselves, 75 percent are attributable to a human factor, and the rest to external factors such as the car itself.
Mansour was also quick to communicate that his jurisdiction did not extend to many aspects of transportation in Cairo. However, he previewed an upcoming presidential decree that will bring transportation of the five governorates comprising Cairo, “and all their accompanying head-aches, under the ministry’s umbrella.
Returning to a congratulatory tone, Ferguson asked whether the ministry had hired a public relations firm to communicate their successes.
“For three years I haven’t been talking, but doing. People need to see results. Now I am talking again. But like the ministries of health and housing, it takes time . I say produce first, answer questions later.
