Egypt spends billions to develop Menya, launches projects aimed at self-sufficiency

CAIRO – 2 March 2023: Celebrating the completion of many developmental projects in Upper Egypt's Menya over the past eight years, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi inaugurated Thursday a recycling and biofuel factory as well as an exemplary cattle farm located Western the governorate.

The farm has sold until present 450 cattle to small farmers to enhance the breeds. Another major project that will be finished soon in Menya is the Canal Sugar Factory, which would achieve self-sufficiency of the product to Egypt once it enters service, as it will be the largest in the Middle East.

Regarding manufacturing, LE272 million was the cost of establishing an industrial complex dedicated to SMEs. Moreover, LE104 million were spent on establishing an investors service center in 2019.

As for agriculture, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli highlighted that Menya houses more than 500,000 feddans (one feddan equals 4,500 square meters) of agricultural lands. Of those, almost 250,000 feddans have been cultivated with wheat in the current season

That's not all as Menya is part of the 1.5 Million Feddans Project aimed at land reclamation. Precisely, 318,000 feddans in the governorate were allocated for reclamation. In a related context, LE2.1 billion were disbursed to fund irrigation projects.

On the developmental level, the government spent LE2.1 billion on developing the healthcare sector in Menya by upgrading and introducing hospitals, including specialized ones, and medical units, the prime minister stated.

The governorate introduced Deir Mawas Hospital, Adwa Hospital, Matay Hospital, Beni Mazar, Kidney Hospital, and Liver Hospital, and renovated Samalout Hospital, Maternity and Children Hospital affiliated to Menya University, and Menya Cancer Institute.

Speaking of housing, Menya was declared slum free in 2021, as three alternative housing projects were built at a cost worth LE199 million. Another housing project is a middle-income residential compound consisting of 78 flat-buildings comprising 1,872 units worth LE2.7 billion. Construction in the project began in 2021 and will finish in 2023, and its progress rate is 90 percent.

With regard to education, nine schools were added to Menya University between 2014 and 2022. On the level of monetary subsidies, 399,000 Menya dwellers are enrolled in Takaful w Karama.

In a similar context, the prime minister stated that allocations to the governorate within Decent Life initiative, aimed at developing the Egyptian countryside, is LE15 billion.

"We aim for making the wastewater network coverage 100% in Menya… As for electricity, 300,000 new users joined the grid in the governorate," the prime minister said. What's more, one of the major achievements is the elimination of slums in the governorate, he showcased.

President Sisi inspected “Decent Life” library at Menya's Maasara village, which is the first in the country where projects within the initiative are completed by 100 percent, and had breakfast with residents. Upon arrival, he was received by 1,500 volunteers at the National Coalition for Civil Developmental Work.

The president met with the mother of a martyr stipulating that the price of stability Egypt now enjoys was the lives of young men who bravely took part in the war on terrorism.

 

The chief of state also toured New Menya City, where he visited the STEM School and attended a show by students in its auditorium, expressing appreciation to the teachers. In a similar context, he met with adolescents who are members of Capitano Misr, which is a programme aimed at identifying and training football talents.