Gamea: MSMEDA Takes Part in Developing Unplanned Areas in Egypt

Minister of Trade and Industry, and Executive Director of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA) Nevine Gamea said, on Sunday, MSMEDA is keen on taking part in implementing large-scale national initiatives as well as developing unplanned areas in Egypt.

Gamea stated MSMEDA is engaged in upgrading services provided to the inhabitants of these areas and creating the appropriate environment for the establishment of micro and small productive enterprises that in turn improve living conditions for the inhabitants and meet their requirements.

Minister of Trade and Industry explained that MSMEDA cooperates with numerous international and donor agencies to develop unplanned areas namely, the European Union (EU) and Agence Française de Développement (AFD) on executing the Unplanned Areas Upgrading and Employment Enhancement Program in Cairo (Ezbet Khairallah and El Zawya El Hamra) and Giza (Mit Uqba and Ard El Lewa).

She reiterated that activities are implemented under many axes related to improving roads, developing health centers, schools and markets to contribute to supporting means of decent life and delivering upgraded services for around 1 million residents residing in these areas and in their proximity.

Gamea added that the projects MSMEDA is undertaking in Ezbet Khairallah in Cairo aim at upgrading infrastructure and securing a safe climate to motivate inhabitants to self-employment.

She pointed out to that the Rising Road, El Mahgar Street and Open Spaces Improvement Project are among the most important projects being carried out in the area. They will facilitate the movement of citizens, commodities and production components for workshops from and to the area.

The minister emphasized that a road will be established to link project components with each other and pave internal streets until "Al Gabakhana" area to be revived in such a planned and civilized way and support all projects bearing the traditional origin inside this area. These projects are executed through casual workers and generate 30295 daily jobs.

Parallel to this, Gamea reiterated that hundreds of men and women from the area inhabitants have been trained on persified skills: computer rudiments, recycling home waste, manufacturing of accessories and knitting. They have also joined simplified courses on how to start and run a small enterprise (so that they were enabled to start their businesses indoors).

Gamea emphasized that upon the completion of these training courses, MSMEDA's Business Development Unit plans to visit the area to enhance the skills of entrepreneurs on many areas such as the professional photographing of their enterprises and help them expand in marketing their products more effectively.

Head of MSMEDA's Central Sector for Human and Community Development Engineer Khaled Fathy said five framework contracts have been signed to execute labor-intensive infrastructure projects to upgrade Ezbet Khairallah and El Zawya El Hamra areas in Cairo financed at 124 million Egyptian Pounds by the EU and AFD. The aim is to generate employment opportunities for casual workers and develop infrastructure at project implementation areas.

Fathy explained that AFD representatives, during their different visits to Ezbet Khairallah, namely, AFD Deputy Chief Executive Officer Marie-Hélène Loison, and AFD Regional Director for North Africa Mathieu Vasseur have stressed the deep-rooted partnership with MSMEDA and fruitful cooperation with the engaged organs of the Government of Egypt as well, especially, on projects that contribute to the realization of sustainable development in unplanned areas.

These projects provide a better climate for the growth of job-creating enterprises and represent a civilized leap forward for the residents of these zones.

Since the beginning of 2017, MSMEDA has been carrying out the Unplanned Areas Upgrading and Employment Enhancement Program funded by the EU through a grant delegated to AFD amounting to 15 million EUROs.