Anacláudia Rossbach, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), commended Egypt’s outstanding contributions to developing the concept of smart cities and its innovations in land and resource management to meet national needs, Invest-Gate reports.

She noted that the rich heritage of the Egyptian capital and Egypt’s urban experience provide world-class insights and learning opportunities.

This commendation occurred during the African Ministerial Roundtable, hosted and organized by the Egyptian government in cooperation with the African Union and with technical support from UN-Habitat at the Grand Egyptian Museum. This event is part of the Egyptian government’s activities in hosting the World Urban Forum, with the presence of Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.

In her speech, Rossbach addressed the pressing urban challenges facing the continent, which she observed at the recent African Urbanization Forum in Addis Ababa, highlighting issues such as urban sprawl, slums, housing, and migration.

With African cities expected to welcome 600 million new residents, most of them young people, Rossbach stressed the need for coordinated urban policies and future planning that includes civil society, academia, and the private sector. She emphasized that the Addis Ababa Declaration would serve as a strategic roadmap for ongoing discussions at the World Urban Forum and beyond.

Rossbach underscored the importance of harnessing the urbanization process not only to achieve economic growth but also to create sustainable urban spaces on a global scale. She pointed out that the first African Urban Forum represents a milestone in the African Union’s Agenda 2063, as it provides an important framework for African cities to access broad opportunities for growth and sustainability.