As part of its commitment toward social contribution, Orascom Pyramids Entertainment (OPE) has announced its cooperation with the Egyptian “Banaty” Foundation that strives for ensuring and empowering girls who are going through challenging circumstances, with the purpose of rehabilitating and qualifying them psychologically and socially and providing them with means for learning and security in order to give them a fair chance within society.
In this light, OPE has, in cooperation the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Ministry of Social Solidarity, organized recreational trips which include awareness- building for the girls of “Banaty” Foundation with the purpose of integrating them naturally within society, and increasing their awareness of the importance and value of Egyptian antiquities. This is also to educate them about their grand ancient history through a specialized tour guide, and to enlighten them as well with developments taking place in the Giza Plateau.
In his first comment as Executive Chairman of OPE, Eng. Amr Gazarin expressed that he was proud of, and exhilarated by the accomplishments of OPE in developments that have been brought about in the Giza Plateau so far, as well as the company’s commitment to the field of Corporate Social Responsibility. In this context he stressed that cooperating with the “Banaty” Foundation targets the integration of the girls in society, and elevates their cultural reservoir, to grow and support their sense of belonging to their country with its ancient history. The target is to raise the girl’s awareness of the history of their country, as well as of their future and their present which Egypt is blessed to embark on with a renaissance in the fields of construction, development, and technology. He hitherto pointed out that the advancements in the Giza Plateau stand tribute to the commitment and vision of the Egyptian state in the fields of developing the area and its willingness to maximize touristic resources in a way that could cause a real surge in the Egyptian economy.
On his side, Eng. Hisham Gadallah, Chief Executive Officer of OPE expressed his happiness to cooperate with the “Banaty” Foundation. He further confirmed that a program has been set in place to welcome the girls and to put a smile on their faces when they are visiting the Giza Plateau.
Gadallah further stressed that the latest updates in the project of developing the Giza plateau focused on finishing most of the developments and constructions in the visitor’s center and the visitation areas. He also stressed that work is currently underway to equip these areas with all the basic services, in addition to catering services, as well as encouraging Egyptian handicrafts and products to be sold in authentic Egyptian outlets. This is to happen according to international standards followed in museums and antiquities’ areas around the world. This stage of the project should be concluded within the second quarter of 2023, while he mentioned that the area will be equipped with eco-friendly buses.
He further pointed out that the work of developing the private excursion facility for Egyptian and non-Egyptian visitors has been concluded, which includes pre-booked trips with programs tailored to different categories such as different touristic groups, embassies, corporates, official delegations, and government organizations. This is in addition to a specifically tailored program for schools and universities A number of groups have already been hosted from corporates, schools, and touristic groups for the trial operation. The target is that this phase would be concluded by the second quarter of 2023.
It is worth mentioning that the Khofou complex has been concluded, which includes Khofou Restaurant, which is considered as the second restaurant after the 9Pyramids Lounge which overlooks the nine pyramids. Khofou Complex is created for Egyptian and international hospitality and is a meeting ground for cultural experiences.
Gadallah further added that OPE is working on concluding the construction and set up of different locations to facilitate different activities in the area, sports events, cultural and artistic activities, and that the updates by the company in the infrastructure have lead to increased interest by companies and agencies to hold activities and concerts inside the Giza plateau, as the area has witnessed a number of impressive international events that have received both local and international recognition. This has driven the company to work on increasing the number of areas equipped to host events by the last quarter of 2023.
It is further worth noting that prior to joining OPE, Eng. Amr Gazarin owned and managed several companies in the fields of import and export and trade representation. He was also a board member of several industrial companies. He also served as the chairman of the Gezira Sporting Club from 2017 till 2021, following periods of successful contributions as a board Member and Vice President between 1992 and 2006. He also served as General Secretary of Arab Tennis Federation from 1996 until 2005. With a wide range of experience in different sectors, he brings a strong knowledge of the dynamics of the Egyptian market and banking regulations.
He was also a major shareholder of International Fast Ferries, the first company in the Middle East operating fast catamarans in the Red Sea between Hurghada, Sharm Elsheikh and Saudi Arabia. Eng. Gazarin holds a Bachelor of Communication Engineering from Cairo University and completed The Total Quality Management (TQM) Course in Japan. He was also a member of the Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and the Egyptian Businessmen Association.
