Minister of Housing Reviews Progress on “Housing for All Egyptians” Initiative

On Wednesday evening, Eng. Sherif El Sherbini, Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, held a routine meeting to review the progress of the “Housing for All Egyptians” initiative. The meeting focused on the development of low- and middle-income housing units across several new cities. Attendees included Dr. Walid Abbas, Deputy Head of the New Urban Communities Authority for Planning and Projects and the Minister’s Office Supervisor; Eng. Amin Ghoneim, Deputy Head of the Authority for Development and Urban Projects; along with Authority officials, new city heads, and members of the Minister’s technical office.

Minister El Sherbini began the meeting by emphasizing President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s directives to expedite the completion and delivery of the initiative’s housing units. The Minister issued several instructions to accelerate the implementation of the project.

During the meeting, the Minister discussed detailed reports from field visits to project sites, noting some delays in progress and the scheduled timelines for completion. The discussion included analyzing the reasons for these delays, proposing solutions, and implementing necessary measures to address them.

Eng. El Sherbini instructed new city heads to establish specific timelines for the phased and integrated completion of the housing units. They are to be directly accountable to the Minister for meeting these deadlines. The Minister also directed the development sector to oversee the implementation of decisions and recommendations from these routine meetings, ensure the selection of reliable contracting companies, and avoid those with poor adherence to schedules.

The Minister called for the completion of various components of the projects, such as units, utilities, and site landscaping, that are nearing completion and can be delivered quickly. He emphasized focusing on finishing units from previous announcements and conducting meetings with contractors to set immediate goals for completion.

Additionally, El Sherbini asked the Authority and new city officials to create a comprehensive financial flow plan according to the targeted execution priorities. He stressed the importance of coordinating and integrating the implementation of units, utilities, site landscaping, and various service projects to ensure simultaneous completion and timely delivery to residents.

The Minister also highlighted the need for adherence to quality standards throughout all project phases and urged the creation of standard models for landscaping and site coordination to expedite completion. He proposed expanding the use of low-water-covering materials and regular maintenance of landscaping.

Moreover, Eng. El Sherbini recommended enhancing the aesthetic aspects of project sites through the New Urban Communities Authority’s beautification unit. This includes artistic elements on utility kiosks, seating areas with shaded trees, and appropriate lighting distribution. Architectural solutions for areas like service shafts should also consider visual appeal.

Dr. Walid Abbas confirmed that efforts are underway to swiftly review procedures related to the “Housing for All Egyptians” initiative’s site plans. Eng. Amin Ghoneim added that field visits by the development sector are ongoing to expedite work rates, overcome obstacles, and address issues to ensure high-quality project completion.