By Mohamed Moussa and Ayman Moussa
Cairo Governor Ibrahim Saber attended yesterday the inauguration ceremony of Al-Jabakhana Park, which was transformed from an unsafe area into a safe public space for recreation and sports to benefit the residents of the Ezbet Khairallah, in Old Cairo.
Established with an estimated cost of LE40 million, the park includes open spaces, sports fields, children’s playgrounds, and a theatre. The project is part of the collaboration between the Cairo Governorate and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MESMEDA) and has been funded through a grant from the French Development Agency, and the European Union (EU).
The inauguration ceremony was also attended by the French Ambassador to Egypt Eric Chevallier, Head of the EU Delegation in Egypt Ann Shaw, and MESMEDA CEO Basil Rahmi.
The project is part of the political leadership’s directives to improve the quality of life for citizens in the neediest areas, as part of Cairo’s preparations for the upcoming World Urban Forum to be held next week, Saber said.
He also emphasised that the governorate is committed to implementing the state’s plan upgrading unsafe areas and improving the level of services provided there. The plan aims to complete the development of hazardous areas by the end of 2024 while simultaneously working to enhance services there.
The gavernor noted that several development projects have been carried out in the areas of Zawya El-Hamra, Ezbet Khairallah, and Istabl Antar, benefiting nearly one million residents in these areas.
Funding for these projects was provided through a grant from the French Development Agency, the EU, he said, highly appreciating the partnership between them and the state and Cairo Governorate in the system for developing unsafe areas.
Meanwhile, the governor said that the governorate will collaborate with Tawasol Association, a local NGO, to manage and operate the park to ensure that services are provided there in a proper quality.
