Dr. Sayed Ismail, Deputy Minister of Housing, received a delegation from the French Development Agency (AFD), headed by Clémence Vidal, to discuss cooperation in sludge management and studies related to the establishment of a wastewater treatment plant in East Alexandria. The meeting was attended by representatives from the Project Management Unit and the Executive Authority for Drinking Water and Sanitation. Dr. Ismail expressed his appreciation for the ongoing collaboration with the agency, affirming the Ministry’s desire to strengthen this cooperation in support of the national strategy for drinking water and sanitation.
Clémence Vidal, head of the French Development Agency delegation, praised the cooperation with the Ministry of Housing and its support for funded projects. The mission’s objectives were reviewed, including studying the financing of sludge management in Alexandria, developing the “9N” sanitary landfill, and completing studies for the wastewater treatment plant project in East Alexandria. Future areas of cooperation were also discussed, such as projects for reusing treated wastewater and improving utility management systems.
The Deputy Minister of Housing emphasized the importance of incorporating capacity-building plans for staff on how to manage public-private partnership (PPP) projects, enhancing sludge quality, and reducing transportation costs of sludge to the sanitary landfill. He also highlighted cooperation with the French Development Agency in implementing the Ministry’s projects within the framework of the national strategy for drinking water and sanitation. Dr. Ismail expressed his interest in closely following up on the outcomes of the mission, whose agenda included a field visit to the East Alexandria treatment plant site and the sludge landfill in Amreya.