CAIRO – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi stressed Egypt’s preparedness to transfer its expertise to African countries to help them and encourage others to support them.
“It is our duty towards them and this is considered a human right to them,” he said while responding to a question by the United Nations resident coordinator in Egypt during a meeting with development partners on the fringe of the World Youth Forum in Sharm el-Sheikh.
He said Egypt focuses on pushing forward three main sectors in the coming period; namely technology-intensive industries, agriculture, and communications and information technology.
He stressed Egypt is exerting strenuous efforts to realise more progress in these sectors in the coming period.
Meanwhile, he called for shrinking imports through encouraging the private sector to produce imported products.
He added if this happens within the coming two or three years, Egypt will save up to dlrs 30 billion paid for imports.
This will also create jobs, he added.
He noted that Egypt started working on developing communications and information technology almost three years ago and managed to jump from 40th position to 3rd at the African level with regard to internet speed.
He referred to upgrading the infrastructure of universities and schools to launch e-learning.
As for agriculture, he said 3 million feddans will be valid for cultivation within two years maximum, but “we need the support of international organisations.”
President Sisi shed light on the project of cleaning up lakes and its huge cost, adding that the achievements realised serve both the environmental and economic dimensions.
Speaking about the infrastructure in Africa, Sisi said that if electricity was provided, people would not burn trees or remove forests and there will be improvements in the climate.
On providing the anti-coronavirus vaccines, he said that Egypt is working on producing two vaccines, adding that there is private sector company working on producing the vaccines in Egypt.
Answering a question on climate, Sisi expressed confidence that the world will do its best to improve climate conditions.
President Sisi said that Egypt is working on electric linkage with Greece and Cyprus, adding that Egypt has the needed infrastructure to become a regional energy hub.
On renewable energy, Sisi said that we are living on less than 10% of Egypt’s area because the rest of its lands are deserts and this is an opportunity to produce renewable energy whether solar or wind energy or establish hydrogen energy projects.
Stability witnessed in Egypt is capable on achieving energy aspirations, he said, adding that Egypt is gearing up to be a developed country with an energy infrastructure.
The whole world tends to link between the continents in the field of energy, he said.
Answering a question about women empowerment, President Sisi underlined his respect to women’s capabilities, citing the steps taken to achieve gender equality.
The president said these are not slogans, noting that almost half of civil servants are women.
As for economic reforms, Sisi said the experiment of economic reforms is not easy.
Sisi said there is a dire need for the private sector’s contribution to support the efforts being exerted by the government, as it has great capabilities and more success chances.
He added projects, including the “Decent Life” presidential initiative, do not aim at building housing units only, but they are integrated projects serving in all main structure fields, including the infrastructure of transportation and IT.
Shifting to how to combat corruption, the Egyptian State will never tolerate corruption, Sisi told international development partners.
Egypt seeks to get rid of any bad or negative matters that can hinder the country’s progress and prosperity, he added.
Answering a question about illegal immigration, the Egyptian leader said the country is hosting 6 million migrants and refugees and is ensuring decent life for them just as Egyptian citizens.
On the next climate conference, that will be hosted by Egypt, President Abel Fattah El Sisi said the country is making serious preparations for holding it, since the convocation of the Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, the UK.
The State and its institutions are doing their best to render the conference successful, added Sisi.
Youth will be included in work teams of the conference, he said, adding that they will be one of the event’s success factors and will have their voices heard.
Meanwhile, the president noted that he met with some officials in charge of major companies during his foreign trips and told them that Egypt is ready to offer necessary facilities for these companies.
He referred to investment incentives, especially in the the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) and Sokhna industrial zone.
Egypt will enact laws regulating work of the SCZone in order to attract more companies to do business in the country, Sisi concluded.
