LAFARGE Egypt, in partnership with MEED, hosts a briefing session on future cities development with a special focus on Al Alamein
- Khaled Abbas: The building and construction sector contributes with 10.7 in GDP and 15 new cities are currently in progress
- Hussein Mansi: With Al-Alamein vast resources and our government's vision, we feel proud as Egyptians to have a city that compares to Europeans ones
CAIRO, EGYPT 3rd May 2018: Lafarge Egypt, a member of LafargeHolcim , hosted a high level briefing session, in partnership with MEED - the Middle East business information specialist- on future cities development and integrated communities with a special focus on Al-Alamein. The event was attended by Eng. Khaled Abbas, Assistant Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities and head of NUCA, representatives from the leading building and construction companies, consultants, architects, developers, and Lafarge Egypt's CEO, Hussein Mansi. The event took place on the 24th of April, at Royal Kempinsiki Hotel.
The session started with an overview on Egypt's economic situation presented by Richard Thompson, MEED Editor in Chief, who also discussed population and urbanization growth as one of the reasons behind the development of new cities. Additionally a live audience survey was conducted on multiple topics related to Egypt's challenges. For example, 80% of attendees agreed that the government is working swiftly to deliver housing projects. Another statistic showed that 90% of attendees agreed that the new developmental projects provide investment opportunities for real estate developers and that an increase in public-private partnerships could help attract more investments. There was a common agreement that one of the main challenges of developing new cities is attracting foreign investments, which is why the importance of facilitating the process and procedure is crucial. The session also focused on the North Coast with the challenges it represents and discussed Al Alamein as the solution.
Khaled Abbas, explained that the investments in transport and logistics infrastructure offer the best future opportunities for the building and construction sector which contributes to 10.7% of total GDP. He communicated that 15 new cities are currently being developed while showcasing a plan for the establishment of the new city of Al Alamein, commenting that “We have a clear vision to transform Al Alamein to become an economic base for several activities such as tourism, agriculture, industry and education while being environmental friendly.
From his end, Hussein Mansi, CEO of Lafarge Egypt, explained that the objective of having this session is "to explore the challenges and opportunities associated with the significant developments the government is undertaking especially with the fast track approach that's being deployed in Al Alamein and how companies operating in the construction sector can help in driving this growth." He also added that "Unfortunately and for many years now, the North Coast has created static investments that were sold once and frozen into private properties for seasonal use only, and hence the added advantage to the GDP was insignificant. However, with the huge potential Al Alamein represents and the government's vision to not only build it as a top notch touristic destination but also a fully integrated commercial, residential, industrial, cultural and entertainment hub, gives it a new dimension as a 4th generation city as well as adds to our pride as Egyptians by having a city that can stand out as the French Riviera, while effectively contributing to Egypt's GDP".
-ENDS-
ABOUT MEED.
MEED is a remarkable senior management media brand that encompasses a subscription website and magazine, more than 20 C-level executive conferences and summits hosted by MEED Events, the MEED Quality Awards for Projects and two high-value content businesses, MEED Projects and MEED Insight. MEED Projects is the Middle East's premium project tracking database and MEED Insight offers tailored research and in-depth analysis. MEED Events annually delivers over 1,000 world-class speakers from both government entities and the private sector and attracts over 4,000 delegates each year to set the standard of excellence in the Middle East with highly-researched programmes, select venues and high-quality networking. For further information on MEED, please visit: http://www.meed.com
