Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat has said that 1,300 villages will be linked with fibre-optic cables at a cost of about EGP 5.6bn.
The work will come as part of the first phase of the “Decent Life” initiative, and is being implemented to raise the efficiency of Egypt’s information infrastructure. It comes as part of the ministry’s plans and efforts to raise Internet speeds across the country.
The Egyptian villages development project is part of the “A Decent Life” initiative, launched by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on 2 January 2019, and aims to improve the living standards of the neediest communities at the state level.
A total of 4,584 villages, representing 58% of Egypt’s total population, will be upgraded at an estimated cost of EGP 515bn.
This initiative aims to alleviate the burdens of citizens in the neediest communities in the countryside and informal areas in urban areas.
It aims to do so by providing a set of service and development activities that would guarantee a “decent life” for this group and improve their living conditions.
Additionally, the initiative aims to improve the economic, social, and environmental levels of families in poor villages, enabling them to obtain all basic services.
It also aims to provide job opportunities to strengthen the independence of citizens and motivate them to improve the standard of living for their families and communities. This is in addition to organising civil society and developing confidence in all state institutions.
