Sisi: Mega Projects Support Egypt’s 'Resilience'

Newspaper Title: https://english.aawsat.com/

Newspaper Number:

Monday - 2 May 2022

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said the successive achievements and the national megaprojects have helped Cairo overcome the recent international crises, in reference to the impacts of the Russian-Ukrainian war and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his speech on Sunday marking the occasion of Labor Day, Sisi mentioned the support and social protection programs implemented by the government to help the most needy groups and irregular employees during the crises.

He underlined the preventive measures implemented to protect Egypt’s economy.

“The successive achievements and mega projects that have been implemented during the past seven years were the major reason behind Egypt’s resilience in the face of challenges and crises,” said Sisi.

They all aimed at improving the quality of life and achieving a decent life for Egyptian citizens.

The situation in Egypt was highly affected by the pandemic, followed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

It is typically the world’s largest wheat importer, buying more than 60% of its wheat from abroad. Russia and Ukraine accounted for some 80% of those imports.

Sisi said millions of workers in the world have lost their jobs during the pandemic, when modern technology emerged as the best substitute.

“Those who made the best use of modern digital developments and kept pace with it were the winners,” he said, noting that the government was keen to digitally transform all its services and sectors.

Sisi said the government has provided cash social grants to irregular workers and supported them economically by providing them with appropriate job opportunities and integrating them into the public sector.

Regular workers in troubled companies were also paid their salaries through the Employee Relief Fund.

The state also supported entrepreneurs by issuing a package of exemptions and monetary benefits to ease their burdens, Sisi stressed.

He pointed out that international organizations and parties hailed these measures and considered Egypt an exemplary model in this regard.

Sisi underscored the Egyptian workers’ contribution to advancing the development path.

He announced that he has directed the government to expedite finalizing the National Employment Strategy (NES) to create new job opportunities for the youths, in line with the labor market requirements.