World Bank Commends Egypt’s Local Development Initiatives

Manal Awad, Minister of Local Development, received a letter from Stefan Gabor, the World Bank's Regional Director for Egypt, Djibouti, and Yemen, congratulating her on her new role as Minister of Local Development in the new government.

According to a statement from the Ministry today, Stefan Gabor expressed the World Bank's eagerness to continue and strengthen support for the Ministry of Local Development in existing areas of cooperation, particularly decentralization, enhancing local governance, and building on the successes achieved by the Local Development Program in Upper Egypt’s governorates of Sohag, Qena, Assiut, and Minya.

The World Bank's Regional Director highlighted that the Local Development Program in Upper Egypt has contributed to improving the business environment for private sector development and enhancing the ability of local administrations to provide high-quality infrastructure and services in several Upper Egyptian governorates. He noted that the program implements an innovative approach to integrated local economic development and service delivery.

Stefan Gabor also pointed out that the success of the Local Development Program in Upper Egypt results from a strong and effective partnership with the Egyptian government, led by the High Committee for Program Management, chaired by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. The committee includes ministries of Local Development, Planning, International Cooperation, Industry, and Finance, along with an effective implementation mechanism comprising a central program coordination office and local implementation units in targeted governorates.

The World Bank’s Regional Director praised the progress made by the Egyptian government in recent years regarding the decentralization agenda and expressed the World Bank’s readiness to continue these efforts in collaboration with other development partners.

For her part, the minister of local development stated that the Local Development Program in Upper Egypt is one of the most significant ongoing projects in cooperation with the World Bank. She noted that the program has achieved tangible results on the ground, providing a good model in enhancing local governance’s ability to deliver high-quality infrastructure and services, improving the business environment, creating job opportunities, and elevating the quality of life for millions of citizens in the targeted governorates.

Awad highlighted that continuing institutional and structural reforms of local administration units to improve service delivery to citizens is a top priority in the current partnership with the World Bank. This aligns with the Egyptian government’s agenda for the upcoming period, which includes simplifying service delivery processes for citizens and businesses, enhancing local revenues, and improving asset management systems.

The Minister confirmed that a series of meetings with international development partners will be held in the near future to explore future cooperation areas, focusing on supporting the Ministry of Local Development’s work plan within the government’s program for enhancing spatial development through the Local Development Program in Upper Egypt. This includes integration with the presidential initiative "Decent Life" and boosting climate resilience in governorates, as well as supporting green growth through the continuation of the Egyptian Sustainable Cities Initiative, which started with the World Bank from the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Summit in 2022.