On Monday, Egypt’s Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, Sherif El-Sherbiny, met with leading real estate developers to discuss their involvement in the upcoming 12th World Urban Forum (WUF12). The international event, which is set to take place in November, will be organized in collaboration with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). El-Sherbiny emphasized Egypt’s commitment to ensuring that this edition of the forum is the best in its history, reflecting the country’s prominence on the global stage.
Minister El-Sherbiny highlighted that the forum presents an excellent opportunity to promote Egypt’s real estate sector internationally, creating new investment opportunities. The event will also showcase the substantial progress Egypt has made in urban development, achieved through its partnership with the private sector. El-Sherbiny underscored the importance of demonstrating these accomplishments to attract further investment and highlight Egypt’s success stories, both from state-led initiatives and private developer projects.
In addition, the minister pointed out that the forum will provide a platform to present Egypt’s leading role in comprehensive urban development, which has expanded across the country during recent years under President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. The forum will include discussions of key projects initiated by both the government and private developers.
A major feature of the WUF12 will be a high-profile meeting with African ministers of housing. These discussions, requested by the ministers, will focus on Egypt’s urban development experience, allowing them to explore potential collaborations and learn from Egypt’s success in urban planning and construction. Egyptian contracting companies and real estate developers are expected to play a pivotal role in future African and Arab development projects.
Dr. Abdelkhaleq Ibrahim, Assistant Minister for Technical Affairs, also reviewed the main events and activities planned for the WUF12, describing it as the world’s premier platform for addressing all aspects of sustainable urban development. He noted that Egypt will sign several cooperation protocols with African nations during the forum to enhance collaboration in urban planning and infrastructure development.
The forum will also include the launch of Egypt’s National Strategy for Smart Cities and the unveiling of the National Green Urbanization Roadmap. Developers and contractors are invited to participate in these initiatives, which aim to further solidify Egypt’s leadership in sustainable urban growth.
Egyptian real estate developers expressed their full support for the government’s efforts, emphasizing the importance of showcasing Egypt’s robust real estate market and creating new opportunities for the country’s development sector in African and Arab markets. They thanked Minister El-Sherbiny for his leadership in driving progress within the real estate industry.
Egypt will become the first African nation to host the World Urban Forum since its inaugural session in Nairobi, Kenya, and the second Arab country after Abu Dhabi hosted the 10th edition.
