Deputy Minister of Housing Reviews Water and Sanitation Project Management

Dr. Sayed Ismail, Deputy Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities and Head of the Project Management Unit (PMU) at the Ministry of Housing, chaired an extensive meeting with PMU members across various branches including technical, contractual, financial, environmental, social, monitoring and evaluation, and occupational health and safety. The meeting focused on the management of ongoing water and sanitation projects, following the directives of Minister Shereef El Sherbiny to ensure effective oversight and management of these critical infrastructure projects in collaboration with development partners.

During the meeting, Dr. Ismail emphasized the importance of closely monitoring and evaluating ongoing projects, identifying and implementing corrective actions, and holding regular coordination meetings with various sector entities to track the progress of projects and programs. He stressed the need to adhere strictly to project timelines, tender plans, and the quality of execution, while also implementing and following up on performance improvement plans. Ensuring compliance with occupational health and safety procedures to protect workers was also highlighted as a priority.

The meeting also included discussions on several projects being monitored in collaboration with international development partners through the PMU. A key focus was on the implementation of the second phase of the Sustainable Rural Sanitation Services Program (SRSSP P for R), which is being carried out in cooperation with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

Dr. Ismail underlined the importance of meeting all program commitments within the stipulated timelines, noting that the success achieved in the first phase of the Sustainable Rural Sanitation Services Program, which was completed last December, serves as a launchpad for further progress in the utilities sector. He emphasized the need to maintain the same high performance standards in the execution of the second phase of the program.