Assem El-Gazzar, Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, addressed the challenges of urban development, the corresponding policies, and the pre-2014 situation during his speech at the Story of the Nation conference, which was honored by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Invest-Gate reports.

El-Gazzar explained that these obstacles encompass several aspects, including limited urban space, unplanned growth on agricultural lands,  housing supply-demand gap, and urban and population congestion. He also highlighted other issues such as low quality of life, traffic congestion resulting in pollution and wasted time, and inadequate drinking water supply and sanitation services.

As a response to these challenges, El-Gazzar mentioned the ongoing implementation of 24 new cities, referred to as the fourth-generation cities, aimed at accommodating 32 mn people. These cities are distributed as follows: nine cities in Greater Cairo, six cities in Upper Egypt, five cities in the Suez Canal and Sinai region, and four cities in Lower Egypt. Additionally, plans are underway for the implementation of 14 more cities.

El-Gazzar added that the total investments in housing projects, facilities, and new cities over the past nine years since 2014 amounted to EGP 2 tn.

Furthermore, El-Gazzar discussed the 2023 urban development map, revealing that the achieved percentage of Egyptian urbanization in 2023 stood at approximately 13.7% of the total area of the Republic, compared to 7% in 2014. Moreover, the urbanization rate reached 48.5%, which serves as a positive indicator of the level of quality of life and economic development.