A committee involving 11 ministries and 9 governmental authorities providing the workforce for the New Suez Canal project will be established, Minister of Manpower Nahed Ashry announced on Sunday.
In a ministerial statement, Ashry said the committee will determine the technical and managerial labour required for the project in addition to developing a database of workers or them.
The new Suez Canal project, inaugurated by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on 5 August, aims to dig a 72km canal alongside the original canal. It will increase the Suez Canal’s current capacity to 97 passing ships per day, up from the current rate of 49. The project would involve 35km of dry digging and a further 37kms of “expansion and deep” digging.
The project will be financed through investment certificates that will be issued through public sector banks over 5 years, with 12% interest rates.
The committee includes ministries of Defence, Military Production, Health, Social Solidarity, Communication and Information Technology, Youth and Sports, Local Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Interior and Investments. Also involved are the Suez Canal Authority, the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics, Federation of Egyptian Industries and other public institutions.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb said Saturday that the New Suez Canal project will include some developments in Sinai, calling on relevant authorities to conclude studies establishing industrial zones within the project.
During Al-Sisi’s visit to Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the establishment of a Russian industrial zone in the new Suez Canal Project.
