Mai Abdel Hamid, CEO of the Social Housing Fund and Mortgage Finance Support, participated in the international conference titled “Future Perspectives and Urban Development Challenges – Smart and Sustainable Green Building Between Present and Future.” Organized by the National Housing and Building Research Center (NHBRC), the event was held under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly and Engineer Sherif El-Sherbiny, Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities.
During the conference, Abdel Hamid delivered a lecture on “Green Housing Financing: Challenges and Opportunities,” attended by key figures including Engineer Emad Hassan, Director of the Green Economy Financing Project funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Engineer Ali Ibrahim from the National Bank of Egypt, and Dr. Rafiq Abbas, consultant at the World Bank and International Finance Corporation. The session was moderated by Dr. Hend Farouh, Director of the Architecture and Housing Institute at NHBRC.
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ToggleGreen Housing Milestones
Abdel Hamid began by expressing gratitude for the warm reception and congratulatory remarks on her recent recognition as “Best General Manager of an Arab Institution” under the Arab Government Excellence Award.
She highlighted the achievements of the presidential “Housing for All Egyptians” program, initiated in 2014 to build one million housing units for low-income citizens. While the program faced initial funding challenges, collaboration with financial institutions expanded from four banks to over 30 banks and mortgage companies.
The program has also embraced green building initiatives to address long-term benefits, such as energy and water efficiency and greywater recycling, despite the higher initial costs. Abdel Hamid noted that the NHBRC provided technical support for the Green Architecture Initiative launched in 2020.
Collaboration and Progress
The Social Housing Fund worked closely with the World Bank and International Finance Corporation to implement the green housing initiative. The first phase includes 25,000 units in cities like Hadayek Al-Asimah, New Aswan, New Obour, and 10th of Ramadan. The second phase will add 30,000 units, totaling 55,000 green units.
Abdel Hamid announced that 25,000 units had been certified under the Green Pyramid Rating System, approved by the Egyptian Green Building Council. Approximately 60% of these units have been completed, with ongoing work on the remaining units and site landscaping.
To support green housing, the Social Housing Fund has developed a guide for building materials and proposed certification for contractors specializing in green construction to encourage excellence in this field.