Accelerating Progress: Egypt’s ‘Housing for All’ Initiative Reaches New Heights

Minister of Housing and Urban Communities, Engineer Sherif El-Sherbiny, recently met with Mai Abdel Hamid, the CEO of the Social Housing and Mortgage Finance Fund (SHMFF), to review the performance indicators of the presidential initiative, “Housing for All Egyptians,” and to assess the progress of housing units for low- and middle-income citizens. The minister emphasized the directives from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, which stressed the importance of accelerating the construction and delivery of these housing units to their rightful beneficiaries.

El-Sherbiny highlighted that the direct cost of constructing the housing units offered by the SHMFF since 2014 has reached EGP 161 billion. He explained that beneficiaries receive two forms of support: direct financial aid totaling EGP 9.5 billion and indirect support, which includes subsidized mortgage rates funded by the SHMFF and the Ministry of Finance, amounting to EGP 11.5 billion. Additionally, infrastructure support has an estimated value of EGP 25 billion, and the average land allocation support per unit is valued at approximately EGP 37 billion.

The minister underscored the need for continuous and precise monitoring of performance indicators and promptly addressing any obstacles hindering the execution of the “Housing for All Egyptians” initiative. This is crucial to ensuring that housing units are delivered to beneficiaries according to the timelines specified in the project’s terms and conditions. He reiterated the importance of the SHMFF’s ongoing efforts to meet housing demand under the presidential initiative, which is in line with the directives of the political leadership.

Mai Abdel Hamid provided further details, noting that the SHMFF aims to continue offering housing units under the “Housing for All Egyptians” initiative on a regular basis. To date, 17 announcements have been made since June 1, 2014, attracting 1.6 million applicants for one million housing units. This high level of interest reflects the public’s trust in the SHMFF and its projects.

Regarding the ongoing housing developments, Abdel Hamid mentioned that 27,944 units are currently being constructed for middle-income applicants from previous announcements, 248,009 units are under construction for low-income citizens, and an additional 68,048 units are being offered. To date, 684,251 units have been completed for low-income citizens, bringing the total number of social housing units to over one million.

For more information and updates, citizens can follow SHMFF’s digital platforms on social media, including the official Facebook page, the official YouTube channel, the official Twitter account, and the official Instagram account. Additionally, the SHMFF can be reached through its official website, www.shmff.gov.eg, or via its complaint and suggestion platform. The SHMFF’s customer service centers can also be contacted through the following numbers: 5999, 5777, or 1188 from any mobile phone or 090071117 from any landline.