Minister of Local development welcomes EU ambassador
On the 5th of December, Major General Mahmoud Sharawy, minister of local development has met with EU ambassador, Evan Sorkoush and a companion delegation. At the onset of the meeting, minister Sharawy has insisted on the strong relation between the EU and Egypt due to the common ties between them and the different challenges both sides are meeting. General Sharawy has also presented potential cooperation fields between the ministry and the EU as raising the capabilities of the minister staff, solid waste management, water management, and decentralization. Besides, the minister presented the possibility of improving and raising the capabilities of Sakkara training center in order to be able to provide efficient training courses for the minister staff and African calibers in light of EU interest in strengthening Egypt’s ties with Africa and in this regards, the minister hinted to the ministry’s participation in the last UCLGA meeting at Morocco.
General Sharawy has assured on the state tendency towards decentralization and on the ministry’s efforts to well represent the governorates in the government’s development projects on equal basis without any differentiation between the governorates. And in this regards, Ambassador Sorkoush has appraised Egypt’s efforts toward decentralization and assured that the EU is following up the draft of ‘local development’ law.
The minister further referred to the ministry’s latest efforts in solid waste management and water management and has appraised EU support to the ministry’s projects in this regard especially Kitchener project that will benefit around 180 city and village. EU ambassador declared that the final agreement of Kitchener project will be signed by next month and said that this project is funded by different parties as EBRD, EU and European Investment Bank. Not only that but EU ambassador also referred to EU main interest with water management and said that the EU will soon introduce a new project that will focus on provide different technical and financial support to Egypt in the water management field.