Egyptian Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities Minister Sherif el-Sherbini said on Sunday that the ministry is moving steadily to implement President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s directives to accelerate completion of the first phase of the “Decent Life” rural development initiative, adding that all projects under the first phase nationwide are scheduled to be fully completed by next March.
In a special interview with Nile News from the city of Luxor, the minister said the ministry is currently finalizing the first phase of the presidential initiative in preparation for launching the second phase, to ensure that 1,477 villages — which were in urgent need of integrated services — benefit from water and sanitation networks as well as improved healthcare services.
He said the government is keen to deliver a genuine qualitative shift in the most underserved villages by providing full infrastructure and expanding health, education and sports services, noting that Luxor governorate has a significant share of these projects.
Sherbini stressed that most “Decent Life” projects in Luxor governorate under the first phase will be completed by the end of January, praising the initiative’s major role in driving a large-scale development transformation in rural Egypt.
On the national housing project in Luxor, the minister expressed regret that the project has been suspended since 2008 for several reasons, including rising costs.
He said there is close coordination with the governor of Luxor to resume work on the project and hand over all contracts to citizens as soon as possible.
