Swiss Ambassador and Governor of Aswan Discuss Cooperation

On Tuesday, Major General Ashraf Attia, Governor of Aswan, met with Swiss Ambassador Paul Garnier, in the presence of Dr. Valerie Liechti, head of the Office for International Cooperation at the Embassy.

The meeting was also attended by Deputy Governor Ahmed Shaaban, General Secretary, General Hazem Ezzat, Deputy General Secretary, General Ayman Reda as well as a team from the Swiss International Cooperation office. The meeting focused on presenting all aspects of collaboration, the most prominent of which is the implementation of the potable water management project aimed to improve drinking water in the areas of Khor Awada, Katereya and Amberkab, east of Aswan.

The project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development, including the components of technical support and awareness-raising. At the end of their meeting, the Governor presented Ambassador Garnier with the Governorate’s shield to express gratitude for the fruitful and constructive cooperation.

Afterwards, Major General Ashraf Attia and Ambassador Garnier visited the project site, where the implementation rate reached around 95%.

The plant is planned to be operational by the end of the year and will provide clean water to the people of the most vulnerable areas in eastern Aswan.

The project includes a lifting station with a capacity of 800 cubic meters/second, next to a ground tank with a capacity of 5,000 cubic meters, as well as transmission lines with a length of 5.2 km and a diameter of 560 mm, in addition to the replacement and renewal of networks with lengths of 35 km and with different diameters within these areas instead of asbestos pipes.

For his part, the Governor stressed the importance of amicable cooperation with Switzerland in order to complete the development projects being implemented or proposed during the coming period, especially in the areas of providing clean drinking water in the rural torrents areas and the Kima farms.

The Governor also pointed out that the project comes in parallel to the implementation of the largest infrastructure projects in the governorate within The directives of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, also coinciding with Prime Minister’s Mostafa Madbouly’s keenness on providing all facilitations and overcoming obstacles to finish the project to improve drinking water and improve the standard of living east of Aswan.

From his side, Ambassador Paul Garnier noted that “With the hardships presented by the pandemic, I am very glad we finally managed to meet H.E the Governor and that we had the opportunity to visit the Potable Water Program and see the construction sites together.

From the Swiss perspective, we appreciate the Egyptian Government’s engagement and commitment and we also intend to continue our engagement and support in Aswan.

We are currently discussing the next phase of our project in Aswan based on the experiences and lessons learnt of the current first phase.

Our engagement will continue on all three components: Technical Assistance & Governance, Infrastructure and Public Awareness and Outreach.” For a total of CHF 8.8 million, the intended impact of PWMP is an effective, efficient and reliable service provision of potable water by the affiliated water and wastewater companies nationwide, which will lead to sustainable and equal access to potable water. This fosters a more conducive environment for economic development, income generation and entrepreneurship possibilities.

On his visit to Aswan, Ambassador Garnier was accompanied by Dr. Valerie Liechti, Head of the Office of International Cooperation at the Embassy of Switzerland in Egypt, as well as a team of experts. Dr. Liechti noted that “we are happy to see the progress of the works that will provide potable water to 60’000 residents in Khor Awada as well as the active engagement of the children, promotors, and teachers in the target communities.”

During their stay in Aswan, Ambassador Garnier and the team met with Mrs. Shams Alibhai, General Manager of Om Habiba Foundation, an affiliate of Aga Khan Foundation and Mr. Ashraf Kenawy, Manager of the Aswan Music Program.

The Project aims at providing children from the ages of 12 to 18, as well as youth up to the age of 25, from the governorate of Aswan, with music training in a safe and secure environment that qualifies them for entry into professional employment opportunities in arts professions nationwide. The arts give them a chance to explore and connect with their cultural heritage while creating pathways to promising future. “Culture is a very powerful tool of development as culture is associated with the ways of thinking and living. Culture opens new horizons for the mind and contributes to the well-being of the youth and our societies. We all must work towards this end.” notes Ambassador Garnier.