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Egypt celebrated its 6th
National Revolution of June 30, 2014 that led to the removal of the late
president Morsi.
The revolution led to the
creation of a new agenda of economic growth and development.
It will be difficult to
provide a complete survey of what has been accomplished under President El
Sessi, since 2014.
I would like to begin this
post by saying that President El Sessi is God gift to Egypt. This statement
might be sarcastically viewed by some. But, one cannot deny the President’s
accomplishment during the past five years. It is a fact recognized worldwide.
The director of the
International World Bank, during a visit to Egypt in 9/3/2019, stated that
Egypt’s economic and social growth, during the past five years, has been very
impressive. She further said that Egypt’s economic development should be used
as an international model to other nations. Furthermore, several heads of
states, such as the US, France, Germany, China and Russia, have publicly
recognized Egypt’s successful economic development.
I would to enumerate the
latest achievements of the Egyptian government:
1. Development of
infrastructure, where more than 5000 KM of new paved highways were constructed,
as well as over 1100 new bridges. The new roads connect all governorates. This
allows better transportation and communication among the new constructed industries.
This development encouraged foreign investors are to invest in Egypt.
2. Construction of new sewage
system in many villages and cities, and the renovation of the old system.
3. Recycling of sewer water to
be used for drinking and irrigation.
4. Desalination of sea water
for communities along the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Four desalination
plants are being implemented along the Mediterranean Sea in Sinai.
5. Reclaiming 1.5 million
feddans for cultivation.
6. Building of 1300 green
houses on 10,000 feddans for the cultivation of vegetables, 75,000 trained
farmers were added to the working force. The government pointed out that the
green houses would feed 21 million people. The produces are sold to the public
to lower prices that the produces in the market. Some were also exported.
7. Fish farms were created.
More than 1100 fish farms were connected to the Red Sea water to raise fish.
This has been a very successful project. The fish are used for national
consumption as well as for export.
8. Increasing the production
of electrical power which doubled in three years from 15,000 KW to 29,000 KW.
The German government stated publicly that no country in the world could double
the productivity of its electrical power in three years like Egypt.
Furthermore, solar panels as well as wind mills were built. The two sources
generate 20% of the electrical power in Egypt. Lines were built to transfer
electrical power to Cyprus and Greece. In the future it will be transferring
power to other parts of Europe as well. Electrical lines have been also built
to transfer power to Sudan.
9. Building a second Suez
Canal parallel to the old one. Instead of a one-way traffic there is now a
two-way traffic. This huge project was completed in one year. The revenue per
year has exceeded $5 billion per year. The addition of the new canal saved 12
to 18 hours for ships waiting to sail North or South.
10.Wide expansion of new towns,
21 were built in various governorates to accommodate population increase and
industrial developments. New homes for middle- and low-income families were
built. The majority of slums around big cities have been removed. Furthermore,
tow new cities were built.
a. Al Madinah al Idariyah or
the New Government Capital which is located 36 KM from Cairo. Government
offices and the Egyptian Parliament will move in to the new capital in 2020.
b. The new city of Al Alamain is
built West of Alexandria along the Mediterranean Sea shores. The city has the
most beautiful beaches. It could become a center of attraction for tourists,
summer and winter. The architectural design of both cities is quite impressive.
c. One fourth of the Egyptian
labor is employed in this sector of the economy.
During the past five
years the Egyptian government encouraged and invited foreign oil companies to
drill in Egypt’s water space and lands. This led to the discovery of natural Gaz
in the Mediterranean water. This discovery is the largest in the region. As a
result, Egypt became self-sufficient in natural Gaz as of 2019. It uses to cost
the Egyptian government over $3 billion per year to import. This discovery let
the government to expand its chemical industries. Egypt is now classified as
the largest exporter of natural Gaz in the Mediterranean region. Furthermore,
there was new discovery of oil in the Western desert where some wells began to
produce oil to meet some of the needed demands for oil. Some foreign companies
began also to drill along the shores of the Red Sea.
The picture is
promising. According to the government prediction, Egypt will be self-
sufficient in oil production by the year 2022.
The office of the
Egyptian Prime Minister issued a detailed report about the oil discovery and
the accomplishments of the Prime Minister of Oil in the past five years
(9/6/2019). It stated that the Thaher field of natural Gaz has a reserve
capacity of 30 trillion Cubic feet. As
of August 2019 the field production was 7.2 billion Cubic feet per day.
The export during
2019 was estimated at $11.6 billion.
In addition the
government connected 10 million residential units with natural Gaz during the
same year.
The International
Organization (OPEC) recognized Egypt’s achievement in the production of oil and
natural Gaz during the past five years. It pointed out that Egypt is becoming
an international center for the production and export of energy.
11.During the last two years,
the government began to focus on the national health condition of the public. A
program referred to as the ‘one hundred million health care’ where people are
checked for Virus C. Presently more than 70 million people have been checked.
Those found affected by Virus C were treated for free.
A second health
program was recently initiated to educate young women about breast cancer and
to be checked at no cost.
Furthermore, a
National Health Care Program was initiated by the government, in 2019, and implemented in five Governorates. It will
be a National System in the near future.
Recently. President
El Sessi urged the government to review ‘Family Planning and Birth Control
Program.’ This program was actually initiated in the early 1950’s. Previous
presidents have all stresses the importance of such program, but nothing was
achieved. The population increase of 2.5 million per year, is the most
difficult problem facing the Egyptian government.
The failing to imply
the Family planning and birth control program is attributed to more than one
factor.
a. The misinterpretation of
religion by illiterate village Imams, who do not understand the content of the
Quran. This occurs despite the support for family planning by the Al Azhar
religious leaders. Unfortunately, 40%of women in villages are illiterate and
follows the saying of village Imams.
b. Poverty plays a role in not
accepting the principle of family planning. Adult men and women give birth to a
large number of children thinking they will in the future will provide them
economic security.
c. The negative impact of
government subsidies which started in the 1950”s to help the poor. According to
the Egyptian government statistics more than 70 million Egyptian have the
subsidy card. Do the 70 million really need such economic support?
In
my opinion the government ought to use the reward and punishment principle as
part of the Family Planning and Birth Control Policy. This has been implemented
in some countries and was successful.
In
general, the Egyptian government total accomplishment during the past five
years is very impressive. Such accomplishment is recognized internationally.
The Egyptian economic growth has been classified as the third highest world-
wide.
The
following factors led to such success:
1. Increase in foreign
investment from 2.2 billion in 2012 to 9 billion in 2019.
2. The rate of economic growth
moved from 2% in 2012 to 5.6% in 2019.
3. Unemployment, which was 13%
in 2012 dropped to 8% in 2019.
.
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