Cairo, Egypt – Engineer Sherif El-Shorbagy, the Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, met on Tuesday evening with Engineer Amina bint Ahmed Al-Rumaihi, the Bahraini Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, along with her accompanying delegation. The meeting focused on showcasing Egypt’s housing experience, new city development, and the upgrading of unsafe areas. The meeting was attended by Dr. Abdel-Khaleq Ibrahim, the Assistant Minister, Engineer Nafisa Hashem, the Minister’s Advisor, and Ambassador Hassan El-Leithi, the Ministry’s International Cooperation Advisor.
Minister El-Shorbagy welcomed Engineer Al-Rumaihi and her delegation to Egypt, affirming the depth and strength of the relations between the two brotherly countries. He expressed Egypt’s readiness, through the Ministry of Housing, to provide all necessary support, cooperation, and experience-sharing in urban development fields.
El-Shorbagy highlighted that Egypt is currently witnessing an unprecedented urban boom, in line with directives from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. This is part of the national strategic plan for urban development, aimed at achieving economic growth through urban expansion, opening new areas for development, and improving the quality of life for citizens.
The Minister discussed Egypt’s efforts to provide various types of housing units to cater to all segments of society, in line with political leadership directives, including the presidential initiative “Housing for All Egyptians.” He also outlined the successful elimination of all unsafe areas (totaling 357) and the provision of housing units in fully serviced urban areas for residents of those regions, thereby enhancing their quality of life across social, health, environmental, and cultural aspects.
Additionally, El-Shorbagy presented Egypt’s experience in establishing and developing “fourth-generation cities,” which are smart and sustainable, serving as business and financial hubs in their respective regions. Notable examples include the New Administrative Capital, New Alamein, and New Mansoura, along with the national road network designed to connect existing urban areas with targeted development regions. The government is also focused on the development of historical areas in Cairo to enhance their cultural and historical significance and enable them to play a pivotal role alongside the New Administrative Capital.
In turn, Engineer Amina bint Ahmed Al-Rumaihi expressed her admiration for Egypt’s urban development achievements and emphasized Bahrain’s interest in enhancing joint cooperation and benefiting from Egypt’s urban experience. She highlighted the desire to sign more agreements in various urban development sectors.
Both ministers agreed to hold further extensive meetings during the upcoming World Urban Forum, which will be hosted in Cairo in November. They plan to organize workshops between specialists from both sides to discuss technical details and mechanisms for joint cooperation between their ministries.
During the meeting, Dr. Abdel-Khaleq Ibrahim presented the diverse aspects of Egypt’s urban development experience, the outcomes and objectives of the national strategic plan, models for upgrading unsafe areas, and projects related to the New Administrative Capital, New Alamein, and New Mansoura. He also discussed ongoing efforts to enhance existing urban areas, particularly historical sites, and maximize the use of unused lands to increase public spaces and green areas for the benefit of citizens.
