Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat has said that her ministry directed $3.07bn to the Sinai Peninsula Development Programme through Arab funds.
Minister Al-Mashat also said that the Egyptian government is implementing an ambitious development programme in the Sinai Peninsula. The Ministry of International Cooperation is working with development partners, to provide the necessary development funds to support the implementation of this programme.
The Minister added during her speech before the plenary session of the House of Representatives, on Wednesday, that the Arab funds include financing from: the Saudi Fund for Development; the Kuwaiti Fund for Development; and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development.
She noted that the programme aims to provide basic services to 558,000people in Sinai, as well as construct 2,600 housing units. Also under the programme, reclamation and cultivation work will take place on 18,000 feddan, as well as other projects in the education sector, drinking water and sanitation.
Minister Al-Mashat indicated that the development sectors benefiting from developmental financing in Sinai are distributed according to: 49% for housing and utilities; 24% for transportation; 11% for higher education and scientific research; 10% for agriculture and land reclamation; 5% for local development; and 2% for irrigation.
She stated that the Ministry of International Cooperation has intensified negotiations with development partners from Arab funds during the past year.
This has resulted in agreement between the two sides on development funds worth $754.4m, which will be used to fund projects in Sinai in water desalination, infrastructure, education and drainage.
This will go towards enhancing efforts to achieve sustainable development.
In 2021, an agreement will be undertaken in which the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development will provide financing of $244.16m to complete the Bahr Al-Baqar Water System Project. A further $183m in financing from the Kuwait Fund for Development will be provided to the same project.
In the water desalination sector, the Ministry of International Cooperation and the Kuwait Fund for Development have agreed on $18m in financing for the construction of two seawater desalination plants.
These will be located in the new cities of Rafah and Bir Al-Abd. The financing comes in addition to $168.4m from the Kuwait Development Fund for road infrastructure projects, amounting to $85.9m for a project to complete the Shark El-Sheikh Tunnel Road, along with $82.51m for the project to complete the Transverse Road 4.
In the field of education, a $140.8m grant was agreed with the Saudi Fund for Development to complete the King Salman University project in the Sinai Peninsula. The university works to ensure and enhance opportunities for quality and inclusive education for all.
The new funding contributes to completing the construction work for the first phase of seven colleges, and will help establish three new colleges in engineering and computer science in the city of Al-Tur, and art, design, and architecture in Sharm El-Sheikh. It will bring the total number of colleges to 10, with a capacity for 12,300 students.
