AFD, French Delegation Tour Infrastructure Projects in Giza

A high-level delegation from the French Parliament, the French Embassy in Egypt and the French Development Agency (AFD) visited on Thursday an urban development projects site implemented by Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA) in Ard El Lewa area at Giza Governorate.

The French delegation praised the efforts done by the agency in coordinating with the Giza Governorate and the Holding Company for Water & Wastewater (HCWW) to complete the implementation of the water reservoir project despite the corona pandemic to meet the needs of the governorate's citizens.

The water reservoir project in the Ard El Lewa area is being implemented as part of the urban upgrading program in unplanned areas funded by the European Union (EU) with a grant delegated to the French Development Agency (AFD), with a total funding of EGP 110 million to finance development projects in the area.

The delegation, who visited the drinking water reservoir project in the area, was accompanied by a group of officials including Medhat Masoud, head of the Central Sector for Community and Human Development at MSMEDA.

Masoud gave a presentation during the tour, explaining that the reservoir will provide Ard El Lewa residents with their daily needs from drinking water.

"The agency began implementing the reservoir after a study carried out by a specialized advisory office and consultations with the residents through a number of community meetings," he said, adding that sewage, and drinking water networks, a ground tank of 6 thousand cubic meters are being implement, and is expected to be tested for operation next month.

On his part, MSMEDA Executive Vice President Tarek Shash stated that the project to develop slums in the governorates of Cairo and Giza is one of the most important projects implemented by the agency in cooperation with the FDA to provide the appropriate infrastructure and contribute to providing a decent life for citizens in these areas.

"The establishment of new projects provides tens of thousands of employment opportunities for irregular workers, where the implementation is carried out with labor-intensive mechanisms,  unskilled and semi-skilled workers instead of machinery and equipment," Shash pointed out.

He noted that the agency’s success in implementing these projects in cooperation with various state institutions from the relevant ministries and governorates works to encourage donors to pump more funding for this type of development projects, which will benefit citizens and help improve their standard of living.