By: Amira Sayed, Maryam Raafat and Wael Salem
The al-Tahrir Publishing and Printing House organised on Saturday the first edition of its conference on the achievements made under Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in the past seven years.
The conference brought together a large number of cabinet ministers, senior government officials and media who tackled the different aspects of Sisi’s presidency.
Speaking in the event were the board chairman of al-Tahrir Publishing and Printing House, and the editor-in-chief of al-Gomhouria newspaper, the main Arabic language daily of the house, along with a host of cabinet ministers and officials.
Egypt’s Youth and Sports Minister Ashraf Sobhi highlighted the important role of the media in inviting the public’s attention to the achievements made by Sisi’s governments in the past seven years.
The 2030 strategy, he said, strives to encourage young people to engage in public life through a series of national plans, programmes and projects.
“We have 5,376 youth and sports programmes and initiatives that will benefit more than 106 million people,” Minister Sobhi said.
He added that 261 championships were organised in Egypt in the past seven years. The minster noted that Egyptian athletes won 595 medals in different sports competitions in 2018.
He added that the government invested LE16 billion (roughly one billion dollars) in the training of the nation’s athletes in the same year, whereas it spent three billion pounds ($187.5 million) on sports facilities.
Meanwhile, the al-Tahrir Printing and Publishing House Board Chairman, Eyad Abul-Haggag, said President Sisi succeeded in restoring security and stability nationwide.
The president did this, he added, before embarking on a journey to achieve an unprecedented development in all fields.
“The comprehensive development and revolutionary reforms, which occurred over the past seven years under the leadership of President Sisi, are unprecedented since the dynasty of Mohamed Ali, which began in the 19th century and continued until the middle of the 20th,” Abul-Haggag said. He praised President Sisi for his openness, especially in addressing ordinary Egyptians. “This man refuses to give false promises or rosy statements to the people,” Abul-Haggag said of the president.
Al-Gomhouria newspaper Editor-in-Chief Abdel Razek Tawfik, for his part, referred to the many development projects implemented in the past seven years. These projects, he said, will be a source of pride for all generations to come. “They will give an ideal example of sacrifice and determination for the construction of the homeland,” Tawfik said. He paid tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for the sake of their country.
Tawfik also praised the government and people of Egypt for standing behind President Sisi as he moved ahead with the development of his country.
Local Development Minister Mahmoud Shaarawy described the national project for the development of the Egyptian countryside as the ‘project of the century’. The project, said, would cost about LE700 billion over a period of three years. “It will change the shape of the Egyptian countryside, raise the standard of living and improve the quality of life of about 58 million citizens,” Minister Shaarawy said of the project.
He added that President Sisi had directed the government to speed up the implementation of this mega national project and to abide by the fixed schedules.
