CAIRO – Local Development Minister Manal Awad said the World Bank has recently published a report on its website highlighting the great successes realised by the Upper Egypt Local Development Programme (UELDP).
The World Bank hailed the program’s role in promoting economic development, improving quality of people’s lives in targeted governorates and helping them to have sustainable income, she said.
She added that the world Bank underlined that the programme is a pioneering example for realising sustainable economic development and creating jobs in line with the Egyptian state’s strategy aiming at improving the quality of life and boosting investments in targeted governorates.
The World Bank said that Upper Egypt, home to 38 per cent of the Egyptian population, has significant opportunities for economic development and job creation.
Recognising the need for an innovative and comprehensive approach to local development, the government of Egypt has made Upper Egypt a pilot by empowering local governorates, enhancing their accountability, and involving citizens and businesses in the decision-making process.
The UELDP aligns with the national Hayah Karima initiative, which aims to improve living conditions for vulnerable communities. Both programmes work together to target the poorest regions, ensuring a coordinated approach to local development, economic inclusion and sustainable growth.
The program also helps local governorates to better identify needs, expand access to critical infrastructure and services, and improve the sustainability of infrastructure projects, which have benefited more than 8 million citizens.
One of the program’s key initiatives is to help local businesses access new markets by addressing barriers to growth, upgrading their production techniques, and raising their operational and marketing capacity through adopting a cluster development approach.
To date, 6,397 businesses and workers have benefited from these initiatives, including 1,568 women, and 2,032 jobs have been created.
The UELDP has made a positive impact on the residents and economy of the region. More than 50,000 businesses have benefited from the programme’s interventions, and over 80% of people and businesses in Qena and Sohag have expressed satisfaction with the quality of the programme’s interventions.
The program has also provided nationwide guidance on integrated private sector development, including the development of cluster competitiveness initiatives which work to enhance the productivity and performance of a specific group of businesses in a targeted area.
These practices, piloted in Upper Egypt, are now being gradually replicated across other regions in Egypt.
