89% of budget spent on Decent Life initiative's 1 phase goes to Upper Egypt

CAIRO – 2 May 2021: Assistant to Minister of Planning for Sustainable Development Gamil Helmy unveiled Sunday that 89 percent of the budget disbursed within the first phase of Decent Life initiative was directed to Upper Egypt so as 334 out of 375 villages received LE8.5 billion.

The official elaborated that 94 percent of beneficiaries at that phase live in Upper Egypt where 97.3 percent of wastewater projects implemented within the first phase of the initiative were carried out; 67.6 percent of drinking water projects, 90.2 percent of healthcare units added, 84.4 percent of schools and classrooms built and upgraded, and 85.2 percent of roads rehabilitated.

LE39 billion out of LE200 billion have been allocated to implementing the initiative in Upper Egypt in FY2021/2022 with an increase of 34 percent.

The ministry had earlier indicated that the first phase of the Decent Life Initiative was launched at the beginning of the fiscal year 2019/2020, to cover the poorest 143 villages, followed by coverage of further 375 villages with beneficiaries exceeding 4.7 million citizens.

According to Minister of Planning Hala El-Said, the initiative includes 4,500 villages and targets to improve the lives of 58 million Egyptians. The total investments allocated to the initiative amount to more than L.E. 500 billion.  

The goals of the initiatives are as follows:

Rehabilitating houses, building ceilings for houses that lack them, and building residential communities in villages in need.

Connecting the houses to water supply, wastewater, natural gas, and electricity networks. 

Introducing infrastructure necessary for micro enterprises.

Providing medical services, building hospitals and healthcare units, and equipping them with the necessary devices and medical staff.

Operating medical caravans, and offering prosthetics. 

Improving the quality of schools, and nurseries, and establishing literacy classrooms.

Expanding economic empowerment, vocational training, and employment through micro, small, and medium enterprises.

Establishing industrial, and craft complexes.

Bolstering food supply chains, and providing subsidizes food.