Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi Tuesday reaffirmed commitment to continuing the path of nation-building and fulfilling the aspirations of the Egyptian people in building a modern democratic state that is advanced in all domains.
This came in a speech delivered by the president following taking the constitutional oath of office for a new term at the new headquarters of the House of Representative in the New Administrative Capital (NAC).
The president started his speech with: “In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful”.
Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “O Allah! Lord over all authorities! You give authority to whoever You please and remove it from who You please; You honour whoever You please and disgrace who You please—all good is in Your Hands. Surely You ˹alone˺ are Most Capable of everything”
He promised the nation to go on path of nation-building alongside fulfilling people’s aspirations.
“Allow me at the outset to extend sincere gratitude and appreciation to the great people of Egypt, the people of the word and the decision, the symbol of authenticity, pride and steadfastness. To all of you, the noble sons of Egypt, I extend my heartfelt greetings and appreciation for renewing the confidence and entrusting me with the honor of leading our great homeland for a new presidential term,” the president said.
“Standing in this dignified edifice, a symbol of the will of the people of Egypt, let me, together with you, reaffirm the covenant to persevere on the path of nation-building and fulfilling the aspirations of the great Egyptian nation of establishing a modern and democratic state that excels in science, industry, construction, agriculture, literature and arts, empowered by our ancient and unparalleled history, our boundless determination that stands tougher than mountains, and our ambitions for a future that, by the Grace of Allah, holds all goodness for our country and its people.”
The president added: “From the moment I heeded your call and sought to fulfil your unequivocal, resounding and powerful will, and together we stood united to defend our homeland from extremism, destruction and collapse, I took an oath upon myself to uphold Egypt’s security and the well-being of its people, and achieve its development and progress as my paramount objective.
“Throughout our journey, I have embraced an approach of transparency and engagement in every issue and challenge we have encountered. I assure you that the cohesion of our national bloc and the solidarity of our people are the unshakeable foundation for transitioning this homeland to its rightful status.
“Perhaps, the past few years have clearly proven that the path to nation-building is not paved with roses. Fate has tested our nation’s resolve with challenges on multiple fronts: domestic menace of terrorism, sudden global crises, and fierce international and regional wars raging around us.
“Those imposed unprecedented challenges, unparalleled in their magnitude and severity throughout Egypt’s modern history. We would not have been able to persevere through these challenges without the greatness of our people and their extraordinary efforts over the past years to rebuild our homeland and solidify its foundations, enabling us to surmount any hardships, God willing.
“The world today is facing mounting cultural, scientific, technological, urban, political and economic challenges, making it incumbent upon us to be acutely aware that we are in a race against time. Progress is an unceasing process that stops for no one.
“We made significant strides in a short period of time, confronting hardships and surmounting impediments. We acknowledged that we are challenging ourselves before anything else; a challenge that is always conquered by the unique character of the Egyptian people, whose power and resilience only solidify in the face of formidable adversities.”
President Sisi went on to say: “Honored by your faith in me to continue leading the path of our great nation, I would like to outline the key features and objectives that will define our national action in the coming phase.
“First, with regard to Egypt’s foreign relations: The priority is to protect and preserve Egypt’s national security in a turbulent regional and international milieu and to work toward forging balanced relations with all actors in a new world, whose features are being shaped, and in which Egypt plays an indispensable role to solidify stability, security, peace and development.
“Second, on the political level: To complete and deepen the national dialogue in the coming phase and implement the recommendations agreed upon across the various political, economic and social levels among others, as part of efforts to strengthen the political and democratic engagement, notably by the youth.
“Third: To adopt strategies that maximize Egypt’s economic capabilities and resources, and enhance the solidity and resilience of the Egyptian economy in the face of crises, while achieving strong, sustainable and balanced economic growth, strengthening the role of the private sector as a key partner in leading development, focusing on the sectors of agriculture, industry, communications and information technology, and tourism and increasing their contribution to the GDP gradually.
“This is, in addition to expanding the area of agricultural land and productivity to achieve food security for Egypt, attracting more local and foreign investments to generate millions of sustainable jobs, while giving priority to local manufacturing programs to increase exports and Egypt’s foreign exchange earnings.
“Fourth: To adopt a comprehensive institutional reform aimed at ensuring financial discipline and achieving sound governance by rationalizing public expenditure, enhancing public revenues, and moving towards more sustainable paths for public debt. This is in addition to transforming Egypt into a regional hub for transportation and transit trade, new and renewable energy, and green hydrogen and its derivatives and boosting the economic role of the Suez Canal.
“Fifth: To leverage Egypt’s wealth of human resources by improving the quality of education for our children and continuing to activate programs and initiatives in order to improve citizen’s public health and complete the stages of the comprehensive health insurance project.
“Sixth: To support social safety nets, increase the percentage of expenditure on social protection, increase allocations for the “Takaful and Karama” cash support program, as well as complete all stages of the “Decent Life” initiative, which is considered the largest development initiative in the history of Egypt, to achieve a substantial improvement in the standard of living of citizens in the targeted villages.
“Seventh: To continue the implementation of the strategic plan for urban development and complete the construction of new 4th generation cities, while developing major unplanned areas and completing the “Housing for All Egyptians” program, which primarily targets the youth and low-income families.”
