Egypt seeks to create integrated rural community in new villages -- Minister

CAIRO, Jan 17 (MENA) – Egypt is building new villages that should serve as a model of an integrated rural community based on sustainable economic activities and the relocation of residents, says Development Minister Mahmoud Shaarawy.

The idea is to provide new lands to be allocated for development and national projects, and to prevent further encroachments on agricultural lots, Shaarawy said in a meeting, the first, of a committee tasked with studying files of 33 new villages in nine governorates.

Attending the meeting that was held via video conference earlier Sunday were the governors of Giza, Fayyoum, Beni Sweif, Minya, Assiut, Sohag, Qena, Luxor and Aswan.

Shaarawy said that the committee should act to turn those new villages into successful urban communities, noting that a report about the outcome of meetings and recommended mechanisms of implementation should be outlined and submitted to the prime minister.

Participants pressed for quick action to collect all data needed about the new villages and suggested that a mini committee be formed to conduct field trips with the aim to verify the provided information.

Societal dialogue is also important to get firsthand information about actual needs and demands of residents and review their opinion about economic activities they see suitable for their villages, Shaarawy said.

He also stressed the need to set a deadline to complete tasks of the committee and to outline a feasibility study of proposed projects based on the outcome of societal dialogue sessions.

Governors are expected to send their reports to the Ministry of Local Development by the end of this week, Shaarawy said.