Upper Egypt craft backing reviewed

Support for heritage crafts topped the agenda of an official meeting on monday.

Egyptian Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Shaarawy met with representatives of the charity Sona’a Al-Hayah (Life Makers) to discuss development initiatives and supporting heritage crafts in the southern governorates.

The minister reviewed the work of the organisation in job creation, health care and housing, which come under the remit of the presidential rural development initiative, Decent Life, in co-operation with several banks.

Sona’a Al-Hayah chairman Moustafa Zamzam gave a breakdown of house restoration and rebuilding in Aswan, new vessels for fishermen in Fayoum, a hand-made carpet factory in Dar Es Salam district in Cairo, in addition to sending medical envoys to rural areas.

Zamzam hailed the Ministry of Local development efforts to support heritage crafts through the provision of exhibition facilities and crafts incentives.

Discussions also focused on development initiatives in Luxor, Qena and Aswan.

Shaarawy said his ministry supports small and medium enterprises by holding trade fairs, and building new factories and workshops within the initiative ‘Your Work Beside Your Village’, which was launched by the ministry and the Egyptian Industrial Union.