Egypt, Kenya to collaborate on urban development

CAIRO – 7 November 2024: Egypt’s Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, Sherif El-Sherbiny, recently met with Kenya’s Minister of Lands, Housing, and Public Works, Alice Wahome, along with Kenya's Ambassador to Egypt, Fred Otta, and the Egyptian Ambassador to Kenya, Wael Attia.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the fourth day of the World Urban Forum’s 12th edition in Cairo, focusing on Egypt's urban development achievements and future cooperation between the two nations.

El-Sherbiny welcomed the Kenyan delegation to Egypt, calling it their “second home” and celebrating Kenya’s participation in the World Urban Forum, which returns to Africa for the first time in over 20 years since its inception in Nairobi in 2002. The Egyptian Minister emphasized Egypt's readiness to share its experience in urban development with Kenya and other African nations.

Minister El-Sherbiny highlighted Egypt’s expertise in urban projects, noting the substantial experience of Egyptian construction firms, consultancy offices, and real estate developers in executing diverse development projects. He also pointed out that Egyptian contractors are already present across Africa and the Middle East, demonstrating their readiness to take on projects worldwide. To solidify cooperation, El-Sherbiny proposed organizing joint workshops to outline a framework for collaborative initiatives.

El-Sherbiny provided Wahome with an in-depth overview of Egypt’s efforts to supply affordable housing options for citizens, especially for low-income families. Central to this initiative is the “Housing for All Egyptians” program, launched by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

The program has delivered a wide range of housing units, focusing on relocating residents from unsafe areas to fully furnished, well-finished, and serviced housing units in modern, safe neighborhoods. Over 300,000 fully equipped housing units have been completed for residents of high-risk areas as part of this program.

The Egyptian Minister also outlined the accomplishments of the New Urban Communities Authority, detailing projects in the country’s fourth-generation cities. Among these are Egypt’s new capital city, New Alamein, New Mansoura, and New Aswan. Additionally, he discussed efforts to enhance and expand development in cities from previous generations. The Minister highlighted mechanisms for land allocation and investment opportunities in these new urban areas, which offer a variety of development possibilities.

Kenya’s Minister of Lands, Housing, and Public Works, Alice Wahome, praised the remarkable progress Egypt has made in urban development. She expressed Kenya’s interest in strengthening and deepening cooperation with Egypt, aiming to adopt aspects of Egypt’s urban development strategies to enhance growth in Kenya’s housing and infrastructure sectors.