(Photo Cabinet Handout)
President Mohamed Morsi approved EGP 4.4bn worth of investments in Sinai on Wednesday, according to Prime Minister Hesham Qandil.
Qandil held a press conference at the presidential palace along with Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Amr Darrag to discuss their cabinet meeting with the president.
Morsi had ordered Qandil on Tuesday to present the government’s urgent plan for comprehensive development in Sinai in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, followed by another meeting with selected ministers to discuss its means of implementation.
Darrag said the plan included developing schools, waste water facilities and encouraging investments in both North and South Sinai governorates.
“The plan includes building twelve schools in North Sinai and fourteen in South Sinai” Darrag added.
Regarding security challenges facing Sinai, Qandil said that increased investments in the region will lead to greater security. The US had released its annual report on terrorism in May that noted all terrorist incidents in Egypt in 2012, with a special focus on Sinai.
Early in June, Head of the European Union Delegation to Egypt James Moran visited EU-funded projects in South Sinai. He said that his visit comes at a time when development of Sinai is “widely debated”.
Within the same week, Morsi held a meeting with governmental and security officials where he emphasised the importance of translating government plans for Sinai into action.
