Egypt: Government Determines 6 Regions Most in Need of Development

A general view shows the Egyptian parliament (File photo: Reuters)
A general view shows the Egyptian parliament (File photo: Reuters)
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Egypt: Government Determines 6 Regions Most in Need of Development

A general view shows the Egyptian parliament (File photo: Reuters)
A general view shows the Egyptian parliament (File photo: Reuters)

The Egyptian government decided Sunday to include six regions among governorates “most in need of development”, according to a law aimed at providing incentives to investors and enhancing job opportunities in those geographical areas.

The areas included under the category “most in need” are governorates to the south of Giza, the Suez Canal Region, east of the Canal area, and border governorates, including the Red Sea governorate, and the Upper Egypt governorates.

The latest official census on the poverty rate in Egypt showed that 32.5 percent of citizens are below the national poverty line.

Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, ordered that the areas “most in need” will receive facilities in certain economic activities, including intensive labor projects, medium and small projects, and projects that depend on or produce renewable energy, as well as others.

Through its action plan, the government aims to reduce unemployment rates.

Earlier, Minister of Planning Hala al-Saeed said that unemployment indicators for Q4 of 2019 showed lower rates to reach 8 percent, compared to 8.9 percent in Q4 of the previous year.

In the same context, the Minister of Local Development, Mahmoud Shaarawi, inaugurated a number of development projects in Sohag governorate, south of Egypt, as part of the presidential initiative to develop villages most in need.

The Egyptian government plans to develop 478 villages at an estimated cost of about EGP10 billion by 2022, by implementing a “decent life” initiative that include projects to improve transportation services, drinking water, sanitation, electricity, lighting, education, and health.

The initiative also aims to provide job opportunities with soft loans to promote economic situations.



MSF Suspends Activities at Famine-stricken Camp in North Darfur

Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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MSF Suspends Activities at Famine-stricken Camp in North Darfur

Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Medical charity MSF said on Monday that it has been forced to suspend its activities in the famine-stricken Zamzam displacement camp in Sudan's North Darfur due to escalating attacks and fighting in and around it.
"Despite widespread starvation and immense humanitarian needs, we have no choice but to take the decision to suspend all our activities in the camp, including the MSF field hospital," MSF said in a statement sent to journalists.
MSF teams have this month treated 139 patients with gunshot and shrapnel wounds in its field hospital, it said, amid clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.

Sudan was plunged into chaos in April last year when simmering tensions between the military and the RSF exploded into open warfare across the country.