UNIDO: Egypt is on fast track to achieve development, economic growth

CAIRO - 13 December 2018: Egypt is on the fast track to achieve development and economic growth, Director General of the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Li Yong asserted on Thursday.

In a press conference, the visiting UNIDO director general said that he sensed during his meeting with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi yesterday that the Egyptian president is a leader who enjoys an insightful and clear vision to bring about progress and lead his country into the ranks of developed states.

Yong, also, added that he discussed with Egyptian officials means of cementing relations between the UNIDO and Cairo, especially in light of the new UNIDO partnership approach.

The UN official pointed out that he will pay a field visit to the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) on Friday.

The UNIDO pays great attention to small and medium-sized enterprises, as they contribute to creating jobs and increasing per capita income and economic growth, Yong said.

In this regard, Yong pointed out that the UNIDO has been working with the Egyptian government to support small and medium-sized projects, especially in Upper Egypt.

In 2017, the UN agency contributed to the establishment of 76 small companies and offered support to 500 other companies working in the sectors of clean water, leather and renewable energy, he said.

The UNIDO also assisted 10,000 women by granting them soft loans to start private projects, trained 5,000 young people on how to run their own small businesses and helped 20,000 farmers to elevate the level of agricultural production, he noted.