Egypt’s National Initiative for Smart Green Projects (NISGP) has highlighted the country’s green innovation potential with 12,000 project submissions over two rounds and 3, 817 qualifying for further stages, a World Economic Forum (WEF) report has said.
These projects cover various sectors, including waste management, renewable energy, climate adaptation, sustainable agriculture, emissions reduction and pollution control.
The NISGP, launched at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, is a nationwide movement that mobilizes local solutions to combat climate change.
The initiative invites innovative smart green projects across Egypt’s 27 governorates, fostering a culture of environmental stewardship and technological innovation at a grassroots level.
NISGP’s comprehensive capacity-building programmes, including numerous training sessions and workshops, have equipped thousands of participants with the skills and knowledge necessary to drive sustainable projects.
According to the WEF report, NISGP’s success is underpinned by strategic partnerships with national and international entities, transforming climate challenges into viable economic and investment opportunities.
“Supported and promoted at the highest levels of government, the initiative has established collaborations with various multilateral organizations and financial institutions to support project implementation and scaling-up,” said the report, a copy of which was made available to The Egyptian Gazette.
Since 2022, several key projects, such as Egypt Waste Bank, Engazaat, Bab Rizq Scrap, and 3D Cutter, have been launched.
“To date, this project [Egypt Waste Bank] has resulted inthe transformation of 50 million tonnes of agricultural and municipal waste into valuable resources and the creation of over 27,000 direct and indirect job opportunities.
Key initiatives include converting worn-out tyres into rubber powder (Bidaya Factory) and developing an app to streamline waste management,” it said.
Engazaat, Egypt’s first independent power and water producer offers renewable energy and water services without upfront costs, investing $51 million in Egypt and Lebanon.
The project has offset 461,214tonnes of CO2and produced 15 million cubic meters of water annually, creating 500 jobs.
Governments across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have been refining sustainability policies and regulatory frameworks to support and enhance private sector efforts.
They are actively expanding national strategies to address climate change, focusing on areas such as decarburization, energy transition, financial incentives, environmental conservation and sustainable supply chains.
“As companies progress on their environmental reporting journeys, they need to have a well-defined reporting roadmap that addresses the specific needs of both the region and their sector.
Different sectors in MENA are at different stages in their journeys. For example, the retail sector features a high number of privately held companies and often lacks strong incentives for comprehensive reporting,” it added.
Discussion about this post