Category: EGYPT

News about Egypt

New governors for Cairo, Alexandria appointed during reshuffle

Prime Minister Sherif Ismail announced on Wednesday the appointment of six new governors for Cairo, Alexandria, Qalubyia, Elminya, Fayoum, and Suez governorates, according to state-owned media.

Maj Gen Ahmed Taymour has been standing in for the Cairo governor for the past six months, as the previous governor, Galal Al-Saeed, was appointed as minister of transportation. Former minister of transportation Atef Abdel Hamid was appointed as the new governor of the Cairo governorate.

Maj Gen Ahmed Al-Hayatmi, governor of Suez, was dismissed from his position while he was attending an official meeting, according to the state-owned Al-Ahram. He resumed the meeting and did not return to the governorate headquarters.

Ismail appointed Maj Gen Reda Farhat as the governor of Alexandria, after several altercations between previous governor Mohamed Abdel Zaher and Minister of National Development Ahmed Zaki Badr, as the former accused the latter of intervening in the affairs of the governorate. The dismissal decision included deputy governor of Alexandria Souad Al-Khouly.

Al-Khouly acted as the interim governor of Alexandria following the dismissal of the previous governor, Hany Al-Messiry. When Abdel Zaher took over the post of governor, he was appointed as his deputy.

The partial reshuffle that took place on Wednesday included five major generals and one university professor.

(www.dailynewsegypt.com)

September 12, 2016
Egypt’s first ever solar-generated electricity plant opening this month

Renewable energy pioneers in Egypt, KarmSolar, will officially be launching the country’s first solar-powered electricity station this month, according to Daily News Egypt.

On the 25th of September, the plant is set to open and its launch is expected to save up to 600,000 liters of diesel anually, according to CEO Ahmed Zahran. Additionally, it should also aid in avoiding the emission of 1,620 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

The plant, which cost approximately EGP 14m to create, plans on selling energy primarily to the private sector – to Juhayna in Al-Wahat Al-Bahareya specifically. Zahran elaborated that KarmSolar was granted a license from the Egyptian Electric Utility and Consumer Protection Regulatory Agency to directly sell electricity, marking the first private power purchase agreement (PPA) between a solar company and a private client to sell the electricity the station generates.

(www.cairoscene.com)

September 8, 2016
Egypt Hosts Five Million Refugees: Foreign Ministry

Egypt’s Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Hisham Badr told European Union Members of Parliament (MEPs) that Egypt now hosts five million refugees and migrants from across the region.

Blaming the EU-Turkey deal for an increase in the number of refugees arriving in Egypt, Badr said that pressure has increased on Egypt to accommodate for refugees and to prevent others from attempting the dangerous crossing to Europe.

“You see what has happened as a result of the deal with Turkey. The closing of the Balkan route and the deal in north Africa, the pressure has increased on Egypt,” said Badr, according to the EU Observer. The EU-Turkey deal saw the EU provide billions of dollars in aid in return for Turkey stopping the flow of migration to Europe and accepting refugees.

Badr also told MEPs from the foreign affairs committee that it had prevented more than 5,000 people from crossing the Mediterranean in recent months, including 400 people just days ago.

“We will continue of course to do our jobs and bear our responsibility without trying, unlike certain other countries, to bargain with that for other reasons,” said Badr, adding that Egypt spends $US 300 million a year as a result of the refugee crisis.

Badr also revealed that there are currently 500,000 Syrians seeking refuge in Syria.

“We are not getting enough support. I don’t want to mention any examples with a country bordering you, which has got 6 billion dollars in help,” continued Badr in reference to Turkey.

Along with Syrians, Egypt hosts hundreds of thousands of Somalis, Eritreans, Sudanese, Libyans, and more.

(egyptianstreets.com)

September 8, 2016
Egypt to hire private companies to clean, manage and secure Giza pyramids area

Egypt’s government has decided to hire private companies to manage, maintain and secure the area around the Pyramids of Giza, the Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported.

A meeting took place on Tuesday between Prime Minister Sherif Ismail and officials from the housing ministry, the tourism ministry and the antiquities ministry, during which the government announced the details of the pyramids development project, stating that a company has already been hired for EGP 5 million a year to maintain cleanliness the area.

Another company has been hired for security, and a third will be chosen for management.

The government also announced that it will increase tourism police in the area and will coordinate with the interior ministry to rebuild a nearby police station, as well as either renovate or relocate a hospital in the area.

Egypt has been struggling to revive its ailing tourism sector, which has suffered greatly after the political instability that followed the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

The number of tourists visiting Egypt dropped by 41.9 percent in July compared with the same month last year, the state’s official statistics authority announced last week.

The crash of a Russian flight in Sinai late last year was yet another blow to the tourism industry. The number of tourists coming to Egypt dropped by 50 percent in the first half of 2016 compared to the same period last year, according to Egypt’s Tourism Authority.

Russia was among several countries to suspend passenger flights to Egypt after the crash, which killed 224 people on board. The crash was claimed by Islamist militants who said they planted a bomb on flight.

(english.ahram.org.eg)

September 8, 2016
Winners announced in the Science City Competition in Egypt
Weston Williamson + Partners, a design firm from the United Kingdom under the direction of Philip Turner, has been awarded First Place in the recently concluded single phase, open, international competition for a “Master Plan and Conceptual Design of the Science City,” to be located in 6th of October City near Cairo.

The competition was launched on 15 April 2016 to find the comprehensive plan and design for a complex dedicated to science and to research. The configuration of spaces is intended to be both a landmark for the 6th of October City and a symbol of the rebirth of the study of science in Egypt.

The Jury unanimously selected the winning project out of 145 entries from 45 countries on the basis of its “subtle but rich design,” using “a multitude of umbrella-like, circular canopies of various sizes, supported by single columns, providing a symbolic, ‘column-scape’ and an upper terrace elegantly shadowed by artificial clouds,” which also provide “opportunities for water harvesting and solar energy collection.” The project can be completed in three stages, starting from the central section and growing as wings, thus furnishing a “rational and workable” design solution.

The Jury attributed three prizes and four Honourable Mentions:
- Second Prize to Dr. Lim Teng Ngiom of Ngiom Partnership (Malaysia)
- Third Prize to Marcella Fedele of Zaha Hadid Architects(United Kingdom)
- Fourth Prize to Taijip Kim of Gansam Architects & Partners Co., Ltd. (Republic of Korea)
Honourable Mentions were awarded to
- Petras Architecture, XCON Housos (Greece)
- Joaquim Caetano de Lima Filho, Daniel Henrique Ribeiro, Giliarde Silva and Guilherme Oliveira (Brazil)
- whitespace architects (United Arab Emirates)
- Francisco Jorquera (Spain).
The UIA endorsed this competition and was represented on the jury by Greek architect and UIA Council Member Nikos Fintikakis.

(www.uia.archi)
September 7, 2016
Egyptian researchers discover a way to grow forests in the desert with sewage

Desertification is a major issue throughout Africa, but there’s a simple way to stop the spread of deserts into fertile land: planting forests. The problem is that in the regions hardest hit by the phenomenon, there simply isn’t enough clean water to properly nurture the trees and keep them healthy. But an innovative project in Egypt proves that it can be done using repurposed wastewaterinstead of tapping into the sparse fresh water supply. The trees grown in the forest are thriving, and in fact, the eucalyptus trees have been found to produce wood at four times the rate of pine plantations in Germany.

Located about two hours from Cairo, the Serapium forest is part of a program initiated by the Egyptian government in the 90s. The 200-hectare plantation is home to a variety of native and non-native trees, including commercially valuable species like eucalyptus and mahogany. Though the soil in this area would normally be too devoid of nutrients to support new tree growth, researchers have found that by watering the trees with sewage effluent, the plants are able to flourish. The wastewater provides so many nutrients that additional fertilizer isn’t even necessary.

Related: The Great Green Wall of Africa could fight desertification and poverty

The sewage used to water these trees is at stage two in the treatment process. In the first stage, mechanical filters are used to remove dirt and garbage from the water. In the second stage, oxygen and microbes are added to decompose the organic material in the water. This leaves a fluid rich in phosphates and nitrogen, a mixture similar to that found in commercial fertilizers.

Normally, this wouldn’t be used to water crops – the amount of fertilizers in the water would be excessive for some plants, and the bacteria in the water could potentially contaminate fruits and vegetables. However, in areas where nothing is grown for human consumption, it’s perfectly safe to use.

In as few as 15 years, the trees in the plantation are ready to harvest with a production of 350 cubic meters of wood per hectare. By contrast, German pines would take around 60 years to reach the same level of production. So not only are the plantations helping Egypt retain its fertile land, but they’re also producing a valuable natural resource which would otherwise need to be imported from other nations.

Related: South African insurance company backs tree-planting effort to reduce effects of drought

It’s estimated that a whopping 650,000 hectares of the Egyptian desert could be converted to wood production if the country were to use 80% of its effluent for the cause. Right now, however, Egypt isn’t even close – and that’s primarily due to a lack of funding. However, it’s possible the nation might be able to use money from the UN’s Green Climate Fund or through private forestry companies.

(inhabitat.com)

September 7, 2016
Egypt Government Approves Five Oil And Gas Exploration Deals

Egypt’s government has approved five oil and gas drilling and exploration agreements with foreign companies, Petroleum Minister Tarek El Molla said on Wednesday.

Once an energy exporter, Egypt has turned into a net importer because of declining oil and gas production and increasing consumption. It is trying to speed up production at recent discoveries to fill its energy gap as soon as possible.

Four of the deals are offshore Mediterranean gas exploration and drilling agreements between Egypt’s state gas board EGAS and BP, Eni, Total, and Edison.

The fifth deal, which is an oil drilling deal in the Gulf of Suez, is between state petroleum board EGPC and local company Trident Petroleum.

Egypt currently produces about 3.9 billion cubic feet of gas per day and imports another 1-1.1 billion cubic feet per day.

(www.rigzone.com)

August 24, 2016
Prime minister, foreign minister meet with Cypriot foreign affairs minister

Prime Minister Sherif Ismail met with Cypriot minister of foreign affairs loannis Kasoulidis early on Tuesday in the presence of Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry and Cyprus’ ambassador in Egypt to discuss bilateral relations, according to a statement from the prime minister’s spokesperson Hossam Qawesh.

During the meeting, Ismail pointed out the depth of Egyptian-Cypriot relations, confirming that recently these have developed significantly through enhancements in joint cooperation between both countries.

The prime minister stressed the necessity of supporting and advancing cooperation between both countries, especially in energy discovery and natural gas extraction fields, which were at the forefront of their discussions. During the meeting, Ismail referenced scheduling an appointment for the Egyptian minister of petroleum to visit Cyprus to discuss strengthening cooperation in this area.

Ismail further praised Cyprus’ international efforts, confirming that Egypt will continue supporting it to solve its issues in accordance with a United Nations decision.

According to the statement, the Egyptian prime minister discussed Egypt’s ongoing preparations for the Egyptian-Greek-Cypriot tripartite summit, which will be held in Cairo this year. The summit will be used to develop mechanisms of the joint trilateral cooperation between the countries.

Regarding insurance dues of former Egyptian employees in Cyprus, the Cypriot foreign minister suggested allocating an additional amount during the current year to pay those dues.

The officials also reviewed and agreed on several procedures, which include the establishment of olive tree plantations in the Sinai and fish farms off the coast of Egypt, as well as work on activate yacht tourism and tourism programmes shared between the two countries.

(www.dailynewsegypt.com)

August 12, 2016
Egypt nominates Moushira Khattab for UNESCO director-general

Egypt decided on Saturday to nominate former Minister of Family and Population Moushira Khattab for the position of director-general of the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The decision came after current director-general Irina Bokova announced candidacy for the UN secretary-general position. Citing officials, state-owned news agency MENA reported that Khattab has started visiting top officials from the UNESCO member states to secure their stances regarding her nomination.

Officials stated that the tour is secretive and far from media follow-ups. However, privately-owned newspaper Al-Youm Al-Sabaa reported that many member states have welcomed the decision and support Khattab’s nomination.

Rights lawyer Gamal Eid opposed the nomination, saying that he is not against Khattab’s nomination because she is secular, but rather because she is one of the prominent figures of the era of former president Hosni Mubarak.

The nomination of Khattab came one year after Egypt nominated Ahmed Aboul-Gheit to be secretary-general of the Arab League. Aboul-Gheit served as the Foreign Minister from 2004 to 2011, and his nomination marked a comeback for the prominent figures of the Mubarak era.

In 2014, founding director of Bibliotheca Alexandrina Ismael Serag El-Din was nominated for the UNESCO director-general position. Uproar amid intellectuals and activists also took place as Serag El-Din was a controversial nominee who was facing several charges in court. He was also a prominent figure of the Mubarak era.

In 2009, Egypt nominated former Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni to the post of director-general as well, but chances of his appointment declined after anti-semitic statements were made, saying that if there were any Israeli books in the Alexandria library, he would burn them. The comments sparked international concern over whether he would be appropriate for the position.

Activist Wael Abbas commented on the nomination of Hosni at the time, saying that he was a hypocrite and worked for a dictatorial regime. He also added that his ministry was involved in corruption.

Earlier in May, Qatar nominated cultural adviser to the Emir, Hamad Al-Kuwari, for the same post, which will level the competition, as both Khattab and Al-Kuwari will attempt to win the support of the seven Arab countries that vote in the UNESCO.

Khattab was the former Minister of Family and Population during the era of former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq in 2011. She also served as Egypt’s ambassador to South Africa, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. She further served at Egypt’s diplomatic mission in Austria, Hungary, and the United Nations.

UNESCO is a specialised agency in the United Nations that aims to facilitate peace and security through fields such as education and natural sciences.

(www.dailynewsegypt.com)

August 1, 2016
FOSTEr-ing solar technology in the Mediterranean area: an EU success story completed in Egypt through the FOSTEr in MED Project

The project for foresting solar technology in the Mediterranean region, FOSTEr in MED, was completed at a cost of €4.5m, and financed by the European Union (EU) through the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument – Cross Border Cooperation Programme (ENPI CBC MED).

In 2007, the European Council adopted ambitious targets to shift climate and energy sources by 2020. This comes as part of a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20%─or even 30%, if conditions are favorable─, increase renewable energy production to 20%, and improve energy efficiency by 20%.

The FOSTEr in MED project aims to find solutions between theories and practices in the solar energy sector, transferring the accumulated experiences through training, and distributing specialised architectural integration instructions.

The programme worked on bridging the gap between theory and practice in the solar energy field by transferring competencies and providing training. The support includes setting guidelines to achieve the architectural integration of solar energy technologies and the implementation of pilot projects within the framework of best practices. The programme helped in preparing a common theoretical approach in the field of renewable energy, and in the establishment and development of local communities, including local authorities, universities, research centres, commerce chambers, and representatives of SMEs.

FOSTEr in MED encouraged the promotion of innovative solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies in the Mediterranean region. This project embraces a multi-layered strategic approach through the participation of local stakeholders, so as to ensure a multiplier effect (in terms of results) of the project’s activities in the Mediterranean Sea region, and then publish and transfer these results both outside the boundaries of the partnerships and after the project is completed.

The project is characterised by a strategic approach that aims to influence the different layers of civil society. It also has a committee of experts and a Technical Scientific Committee (TSC) that consist of individuals and experts from the Mediterranean countries, coming from universities, research centres, the private sector, and institutional sectors.

Salma El-Sahhar, the project manager of the FOSTEr in MED project at the Confederation of Egyptian European Business Associations (CEEBA), said that in the course of the past three years, the project has promoted the adoption of innovative solar PV technologies in the Mediterranean area and exploited the potential of solar technologies through the transfer of technical knowhow to those involved in the sector (small- and medium-sized enterprises, engineers, students). It also identified the best practices in the policy and regulatory fields, and the implemented five pilot projects aiming to equip public buildings with innovative solar PV plants. One of these buildings is that of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, the first.

The Alexandria Chamber of Commerce in Alexandria is one of the five public buildings and the first Mediterranean chamber to be solar-equipped, hosting the innovative solar PV plants, and testing different technological solutions and architectural integrations. The other buildings selected to be part of the project are: Balqa college in Aqaba, Jordan; the Lebanese University Campus in Hadat in Beirut, Lebanon; the Centre National de Formation de Formateurs et d’Ingénierie de Formation (CENAFFIF) in Tunis, Tunisia; and the Regional Agency for the housing construction industry (AREA) in Cagliari, Italy.

El-Sahhar added that Onera Systems has completed the installation of a solar power plant at the Chamber of Commerce in Alexandria through the FOSTEr in MED project with a total peak power capacity of 13.72 kWp, a yearly energy yield of 19,813 kWh, and an annual CO2 emission reduction of 11 tonnes.

The PV is integrated in the building, intercepting the direct heat radiation on the roof where 56 coloured modules have been installed to match the building’s architectural design.

She further added that the funding of the FOSTEr in MED project, which aims to promote solar technology in the Mediterranean region, came within the first call to establish strategic projects and promote environmental sustainability. The project aims to contribute to transferring knowledge and technology in the field of solar energy to the Mediterranean region through cross-border cooperation.

The project educated at least 3,500 students from 60 schools, and 350 citizens about solar energy technologies, prepared at least six sheets of public policy proposal, and implemented five projects with a capacity of 85 kW (about 17 kW per station).

Kamelia Youssef, the technical expert of FOSTEr in MED, said that the project aims to educate and apply. The educational side includes educating school and university students about the integration architecture of solar energy, while the application side comes through implementing a project to identify the importance of solar energy more clearly.

She stated that solar panels can be installed on buildings’ windows in order to produce electricity and protect buildings from high temperatures.

According to Youssef, three training sessions were held. The first session trained graduate students of engineering colleges and institutes from Cairo, Tanta, and Alexandria about the architectural integration of solar energy. It lasted for six days. The second session taught technicians and workers how to install, operate, and maintain solar plants throughout six days. The third session trained designers on solar energy programmes.

Youssef said that the application side of FOSTEr in MED included the launch of a solar energy plant project with a capacity of 13.7 kW, producing 20,000 kWh annually at the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce building.

The partnership project is composed of different research institutions, public administration, and representatives of private sector, including the University of Cagliari in Italy, the Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME) in Spain, the Promotional Services Centre for enterprises (CSPI) in Italy, the Confederation of Egyptian European Business Associations (CEEBA) in Egypt, the Industrial Research Institute (IRI) in Lebanon, the Royal Scientific Society (RSS) in Jordan, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Tunis (CCI Tunis) in Tunisia.

(www.dailynewsegypt.com)

July 26, 2016