Egypt has signed off on suspending the issuance of building permits for new housing units in Cairo, Giza, Qalyubia, and Alexandria for six months, Invest-Gate reports.

The decision excludes industrial and tourism buildings, as well as government and national facilities, Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Shaarawy confirmed in a ministerial statement on May 11.

It is only enforceable on the aforementioned grounds, the minister pinpointed, urging the regular issuance of building permits in other governorates.

From March 25 to May 4, the Egyptian government had successfully reclaimed 4.3 mn square meters of state-owned properties, alongside 14,528-acre lands, being adversely occupied and encroached upon across various governorates, Shaarawy revealed in a separate statement on May 12.

Earlier, Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities Assem El Gazzar confirmed that 25 integrated urban and investment projects had obtained ministerial approvals for their urban design and planning in the first quarter of 2020.