Egypt

Egypt's Rod al-Farag Axis Bridge to be listed in Guinness Book of World Records

I don't really care that it will be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records; I care more for the fact that it will "transfer traffic densities coming from east of Cairo to Alexandria Desert Road, Matruh, and al-Alamein highway so that they will not pass through the heart of Cairo." Good work, folks. 

Egypt Independent (link: Egypt's Rod al-Farag Axis Bridge to be listed in Guinness Book of World Records)

Egypt is a few days away from the inauguration of the Rod al-Farag Axis Bridge, one of the largest strategic projects passing by the Nile River and the widest suspension bridge in the world. It will be recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as having a width of 64.8 meters, followed in width size by Canada’s suspension bridge at a width of 64.2 meters and the Turkish Bosphorus at 58.5 meters wide, al-Shorouk news website reported.

The total length of the Rod al-Farag Axis Bridge is 16.7 kms divided into five bridges that connect a number of areas. The longest of these bridges is Shobra neighborhood bridge, followed by the Ring Road intersection bridge. The other three bridges are Warraq Bridge, Western Nile Bridge, and the Eastern Nile Bridge.

The project is one of the most important projects by the National Network of Roads. It will transfer traffic densities coming from east of Cairo to Alexandria Desert Road, Matruh, and al-Alamein highway so that they will not pass through the heart of Cairo.

The project starts from Tere’t al-Ismailia Street then passes through Shubra al-Mazalat area to the west of the Ring Road in the direction of Alexandria Desert Road. The total length of the axis is 16.7 km in both directions. It is the first huge suspension bridge implemented in Egypt. The bridge was built by: 4,000 engineers, technicians, and workers; a large number of equipment pieces, including 27 pile drivers; a large number of heavy equipment pieces that have a carrying capacity of up to 600 tons; two ferries specially constructed for the project at a cost of LE46 million, and others.

Now the truth emerges: how the US fuelled the rise of Isis in Syria and Iraq

My two cents: a very disturbing piece. Will countries around the world keep falling for these manipulative and disastrous exploitations? 

The Guardian, by Seumas Milne (Read on: Now the truth emerges: how the US fuelled the rise of ISIS in Syria and Iraq)

The sectarian terror group won’t be defeated by the western states that incubated it in the first place

The war on terror, that campaign without end launched 14 years ago by George Bush, is tying itself up in ever more grotesque contortions. On Monday the trial in London of a Swedish man, Bherlin Gildo, accused of terrorism in Syria, collapsed after it became clear British intelligence had been arming the same rebel groups the defendant was charged with supporting.

The prosecution abandoned the case, apparently to avoid embarrassing the intelligence services. The defence argued that going ahead with the trial would have been an “affront to justice” when there was plenty of evidence the British state was itself providing “extensive support” to the armed Syrian opposition.

That didn’t only include the “non-lethal assistance” boasted of by the government (including body armour and military vehicles), but training, logistical support and the secret supply of “arms on a massive scale”. Reports were cited that MI6 had cooperated with the CIA on a “rat line” of arms transfers from Libyan stockpiles to the Syrian rebels in 2012 after the fall of the Gaddafi regime.

Clearly, the absurdity of sending someone to prison for doing what ministers and their security officials were up to themselves became too much. But it’s only the latest of a string of such cases. Less fortunate was a London cab driver Anis Sardar, who was given a life sentence a fortnight earlier for taking part in 2007 in resistance to the occupation of Iraq by US and British forces. Armed opposition to illegal invasion and occupation clearly doesn’t constitute terrorism or murder on most definitions, including the Geneva convention.

But terrorism is now squarely in the eye of the beholder. And nowhere is that more so than in the Middle East, where today’s terrorists are tomorrow’s fighters against tyranny – and allies are enemies – often at the bewildering whim of a western policymaker’s conference call.

For the past year, US, British and other western forces have been back in Iraq, supposedly in the cause of destroying the hyper-sectarian terror group Islamic State (formerly known as al-Qaida in Iraq). This was after Isis overran huge chunks of Iraqi and Syrian territory and proclaimed a self-styled Islamic caliphate.

The campaign isn’t going well. Last month, Isis rolled into the Iraqi city of Ramadi, while on the other side of the now nonexistent border its forces conquered the Syrian town of Palmyra. Al-Qaida’s official franchise, the Nusra Front, has also been making gains in Syria.

Some Iraqis complain that the US sat on its hands while all this was going on. The Americans insist they are trying to avoid civilian casualties, and claim significant successes. Privately, officials say they don’t want to be seen hammering Sunni strongholds in a sectarian war and risk upsetting their Sunni allies in the Gulf.

A revealing light on how we got here has now been shone by a recently declassified secret US intelligence report, written in August 2012, which uncannily predicts – and effectively welcomes – the prospect of a “Salafist principality” in eastern Syria and an al-Qaida-controlled Islamic state in Syria and Iraq. In stark contrast to western claims at the time, the Defense Intelligence Agency document identifies al-Qaida in Iraq (which became Isis) and fellow Salafists as the “major forces driving the insurgency in Syria” – and states that “western countries, the Gulf states and Turkey” were supporting the opposition’s efforts to take control of eastern Syria.

Raising the “possibility of establishing a declared or undeclared Salafist principality”, the Pentagon report goes on, “this is exactly what the supporting powers to the opposition want, in order to isolate the Syrian regime, which is considered the strategic depth of the Shia expansion (Iraq and Iran)”.

American forces bomb one set of rebels while backing another in Syria

Which is pretty well exactly what happened two years later. The report isn’t a policy document. It’s heavily redacted and there are ambiguities in the language. But the implications are clear enough. A year into the Syrian rebellion, the US and its allies weren’t only supporting and arming an opposition they knew to be dominated by extreme sectarian groups; they were prepared to countenance the creation of some sort of “Islamic state” – despite the “grave danger” to Iraq’s unity – as a Sunni buffer to weaken Syria.

That doesn’t mean the US created Isis, of course, though some of its Gulf allies certainly played a role in it – as the US vice-president, Joe Biden, acknowledged last year. But there was no al-Qaida in Iraq until the US and Britain invaded. And the US has certainly exploited the existence of Isis against other forces in the region as part of a wider drive to maintain western control.

The calculus changed when Isis started beheading westerners and posting atrocities online, and the Gulf states are now backing other groups in the Syrian war, such as the Nusra Front. But this US and western habit of playing with jihadi groups, which then come back to bite them, goes back at least to the 1980s war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, which fostered the original al-Qaida under CIA tutelage.

Read on Now the truth emerges: How the US fuelled the rise of ISIS in Syria and Iraq

Trump pushes to designate Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group

NY Times, by Charlie Savage, Eric Schmitt and Maggie Haberman

(Excerpt—link Trump pushes to designate Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group)

President Trump with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt on April 9 at the White House. Mr. el-Sisi asked Mr. Trump to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization when the two met privately.CreditCreditTom Brenner for The New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is pushing to issue an order that would designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization, bringing the weight of American sanctions against a storied and influential Islamist political movement with millions of members across the Middle East, according to officials familiar with the matter.

The White House directed national security and diplomatic officials to find a way to place sanctions on the group after a White House visit on April 9 by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, for whom the Brotherhood represents a source of political opposition. In a private meeting without reporters and photographers, Mr. el-Sisi urged Mr. Trump to take that step and join Egypt in branding the movement a terrorist organization.

Such a designation imposes wide-ranging economic and travel sanctions on companies and individuals who interact with the targeted group. The president responded affirmatively to Mr. el-Sisi, saying it would make sense. Some of Mr. Trump’s advisers have interpreted that as a commitment, officials said.

But the proposal has prompted fierce debate within the administration, including at a senior-level meeting of policymakers from various departments convened last week by the White House’s National Security Council, the officials said.

In a statement, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, acknowledged that the administration was working on designating the Muslim Brotherhood terrorists.

“The president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concern, and this designation is working its way through the internal process,” Ms. Sanders said.

John R. Bolton, the national security adviser, and Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, support the idea, officials said. But the Pentagon, career national security staff, government lawyers and diplomatic officials have voiced legal and policy objections, and have been scrambling to find a more limited step that would satisfy the White House.

As a matter of law, officials have argued that the criteria for designating a terrorist organization are not a good fit for the Muslim Brotherhood, which is less a coherent body than a loose-knit movement with chapters in different countries that either use that moniker or have strong historical ties to it. Several political parties in places like Tunisia and Jordan consider themselves Muslim Brotherhood or have ties to it, but eschew violent extremism.

As a matter of policy, such a designation could have rippling consequences, including further stressing relations with Turkey, whose president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is a staunch Brotherhood supporter. It is also unclear what the consequences would be for Americans and American humanitarian organizations with links to the group, and human rights officials have worried that Mr. el-Sisi might use it to justify an even harsher crackdown against his opponents.

Among the alternative ideas raised at the meeting last week were trying to identify and target a terrorist-linked group with ties to the Brotherhood that has not yet been designated or limiting any designation’s scope to the Egyptian branch, officials said.

Read on Trump pushes to designate Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group

غزل المحلة تبدأ التحديث بـ5 مصانع.. رئيس الشركة: إصلاح البنية الأساسية وخطة للتسويق عالميا

الاهرام اليومي, الغربية ــ أحمد أبو شنب

  لينك: غزل المحله تبدا التحديث ب ٥ مصانع...رئيس الشركة: اصلاح البنية الاساسية وخطة للتسويق عالميا

«اهتمام كبير، وعزم أكيد، ونظرة جديدة وجادة من القيادة السياسية، لقطاع الغزل والنسيج، لم يشهدها طوال عقود طويلة ماضية، وفى الصدارة منه شركة غزل المحلة».. هذا ما أكده المهندس إبراهيم صادق رئيس شركة مصر للغزل والنسيج بالمحلة الكبرى، مشيرا الى ان الدولة بدأت فعليًّا التعاقد النهائى لتوريد أحدث الماكينات الأوروبية لشركات الغزل والنسيج وأن «غزل المحلة» فى مقدمة هذه الشركات التى سيتم تطويرها وتحديثها، بما لها من عمق تاريخى، وخبرات كبيرة، وسمعة عالمية.

وأضاف أنه سيتم البدء فى «غزل المحلة» بتحديث 5 مصانع مبدئيًّا - تحديثًا كليًّا (من الألف للياء) منها: مصنعان للغزل، ومثلهما للنسيج، ومصنع للتجهيز، الأمر الذى يضاعف إنتاج الشركة، وذلك بالإضافة إلى عمل الماكينات الحديثة نوعًا ما داخل المصانع الأخرى بالشركة.

وأشار إلى أنه فى الوقت نفسه، تعمل المكاتب الاستشارية على قدم وساق فى تطوير وتجهيز المبانى والبنية التحتية لهذه الشركات، استعدادًا لاستقبال الماكينات والمعدات الجديدة، مؤكدًا أن هذا التطوير سيحدث نقلة نوعية هائلة فى الإنتاج، الذى سيشق طريقه مرة أخرى للأسواق الخارجية.

وحول عملية دمج شركة النصر للغزل والنسيج والصباغة مع شركة مصر للغزل والنسيج، قال «صادق»: ليست لديَّ صورة كاملة عن عملية الدمج، وإنما من خلال اجتماعات هشام توفيق وزير قطاع الأعمال، فإنه سيتم دمج 23 شركة، فى 9 شركات، ومن ضمنها دمج «النصر» مع «مصر» بالمحلة الكبرى.

وفى السياق ذاته، أكد الدكتور مجدى الألفى، عضو مجلس إدارة شركة «غزل المحلة»، أن اهتمام الدولة بتطوير شركات الغزل والنسيج غير مسبوق، على مستوى القيادة السياسية، منذ تأسيس شركة مصر للغزل والنسيج عام 1927 على يد طلعت حرب، وأنه بالتوازى مع عملية التطوير ستقوم المكاتب الاستشارية بالتسويق للمنتجات فى أوروبا، الأمر الذى يعيد الروح مرةً أخرى لسمعة المنتَج المصرى عالميًّا، وكذلك عودة الروح لقلعة الغزل والنسيج بالمحلة الكبرى.. بينما أكد عبدالفتاح إبراهيم رئيس النقابة العامة للعاملين بالغزل والنسيج، أن الاهتمام بشركات الغزل والنسيج والاسراع فى تطويرها جعل النقابة العامة ترفع شعار «تعظيم سلام للرئيس عبدالفتاح السيسى لأنه الرئيس الوحيد الذى وضع مشكلات هذا القطاع والعاملين به فى مقدمة اهتماماته رغم التحديات التى يواجهها الوطن».. وأضاف أن شركة غزل المحلة ستعود مرة أخرى شركة طلعت حرب وتصبح منارة الاقتصاد المصرى، وذلك بعمالها ومصانعها الحديثة، حيث إن الحكومة بدأت فى تنفيذ ما وعدت به من تطوير بها لإعادتها إلى ما كانت عليه، بما يحققه هذا التطوير من استقرار ويضمن حقوق العمال.. وأشار إلى أن عمال الغزل والنسيج كانوا يشعرون ببريق أمل منذ أن أصدر الرئيس قراراته للحكومة بالبدء فى دراسة تطوير الشركات، واليوم أصبحنا نشعر يقينا بأنه أصبح لنا درع وسيف؛ لتأكدنا من أن قيادتنا السياسية لديها التصميم والعزم على إصلاح الخلل الموروث، ومسح ذكريات اليأس والسنوات العجاف من عقول العمال. وقال إبراهيم: «اطمئنوا يا عمال مصر الرئيس يتبناكم»، مطالبًا العمال، خاصة أبناء غزل المحلة، بضرورة الوقوف مع الدولة المصرية وقيادتها الحكيمة، لأنهم دائمًا يكونون فى مقدمة الصفوف الوطنية.

رابط دائم: 

 

Small business lending on the rise for Egyptian women

Al Monitor, by N.A. Hussein (Excerpt—read on Small business lending on the rise for Egyptian women) 

CAIRO — Small businesses continue to serve as a gateway into a better economic life for many Egyptian women, especially in the country’s rural areas and Upper Egypt.

Nevein Gamea, the executive director of the state-owned Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA), said in an April 14 statement that rural women control 51% of the total MSMEDA-funded projects.

At a press conference on the sidelines of the 2019 Arab Forum for Sustainable Development held in Beirut April 10, Egyptian Minister of Planning, Follow-up and Administrative Reform Hala al-Saeed announced that small and medium enterprise (SME) lending for Egyptian women — either through MSMEDA or banks — had increased and reached in 2018 46% of the total funds and loans of the banks and MSMEDA. However, there are no statistics on previous years.

At an international conference held on March 19 on the occasion of International Women’s Day at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Nahla Zeitoun, senior social protection specialist at the World Bank, announced the findings of a joint study carried out by the World Bank, Egypt’s National Council for Women (NCW) as well as several local human rights organizations and experts on women’s economic empowerment.

The study showed that in 2018, SME lending for women in Egypt increased to 69% of total general loans from banks, while microcredit for women stood at 51%.

Despite the disparity in the SME lending figures of the study and of the Egyptian minister of planning, these numbers reflect a clear fact that Egyptian women have become a major driver for small and medium-sized projects in the country. The pertinent question, however, is how did women reach this status and to what extent can they contribute to developing the Egyptian economy through such projects?

Gamea told Al-Monitor she believes that this boost in SME lending for women is due to the Egyptian state’s interest in promoting women’s rights as part of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s strategy to empower women, which he launched alongside the NCW in 2016.

She added that Sisi also declared 2017 the “Year of Women” on March 8, which marked International Women’s Day, prompting many Egyptian banks to increase lending to female-run SMEs.

Magued Osman, director of the Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research (Baseera) and co-author of the World Bank study on women’s economic empowerment, told Al-Monitor that Sisi’s strategy for empowering women served as an incentive for women to be strongly present at the SME level.

However, he explained that according to other studies on the economic empowerment of women — such as the one launched by Egyptian Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr in March — there are many other factors for women’s economic growth, namely their enthusiasm and drive after long years of marginalization and neglect. “One can say that women are now very eager to prove themselves and to show their potential in all areas, including the economic sphere,” Osman said.

The NCW, in cooperation with the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development, an Egyptian charity, issues twice a year a publication titled Women’s Catalogue, featuring success stories of female entrepreneurs who have proved to be pioneers in SME projects, especially in handicrafts.

Fatima Idris Mohammed, from Aswan governorate in Upper Egypt, is the owner of Al-Arjoun Handicrafts Workshop and Training Center. She told Al-Monitor, “I believe the obstacles facing women in Egypt — particularly in the rural areas — are at the very same time the driving force and impetus behind their success. The greater the challenge, the greater the success.”

She said, “Because of customs, traditions and also the financial hardships in Upper Egypt, I had to drop out of middle school. But I made sure not to make the same mistake with my daughters, as my husband and I were adamant to send our daughters to school until they complete their studies no matter how difficult our financial situation. I also decided to invest in my skills in manufacturing palm extract, which is at the base of many handicrafts, and set up a small workshop.”

Mohammed added, “What started out as a small workshop grew into a business with 30 female workers. I strongly believe in my role to help other women in Upper Egypt to overcome obstacles and complete their studies. In addition to the workshop, I also established a small vocational school to train young women on art skills — such as designing and drawing — that are necessary for them to get admitted into universities and faculties of art or education."

Magda Abdel Rahim of Sohag in Upper Egypt organizes a workshop called “Shegl Gadati“ ("Handmade by Grandmother"), which is dedicated to reviving an almost lost Egyptian craft — the Talli embroidery, which is based on weaving gold and silver threads.

Read more: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/04/egypt-smes-banks-loans-women-rural-economy.html#ixzz5mD5URieE

Banking on higher reserves, Egypt’s gas grid expands

Al Monitor, by Ahmed Elleithy (Excerpt; read on: Banking on higher reserves, Egypt's gas grid expands)

CAIRO — Egypt’s National Gas Grid is expanding thanks to growing natural gas reserves. The Petroleum Ministry added 1.9 million housing units to the National Gas Grid between January 2018 and March 2019, according to data released in early April. The country’s National Gas Grid exceeded 9.8 million housing units at the end of March 2019, and the grid is expected to reach 10 million units by the end of June.

Egypt has great potential in terms of natural resources, luring world investors into its energy sector, especially petrochemicals. Egypt’s proven natural gas reserves stand at 90 trillion cubic feet, according to Petroleum Ministry data from October 2018.

“Egypt will be self-sufficient in natural gas, and that will be for the interest of its public treasury, saving the funds that were earmarked to meet the country's needs through imports,” Ramadan Abul Ela, a petroleum engineering professor and vice president of Alexandria's Pharos University, told Al-Monitor.

On April 11, Masrawy quoted an anonymous source at the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company as saying that Italian oil and gas group Eni will increase the number of producing wells at Egypt’s giant Zohr gas field. The gas field, which was discovered by Eni in 2015, is located in the Mediterranean Sea north of Port Said. Eni has estimated Zohr's gas resources at around 30 trillion cubic feet.

On March 14, Eni announced a new gas discovery in the Mediterranean Sea near Sinai. “The well has not been tested, however an intense and accurate data acquisition has been carried out,” Eni said in a statement on its website.

“The Zohr gas field will lure more investments into Egypt in the coming years. With the completion of Zohr's third phase at the end of 2019, a number of sectors like fertilizers and petrochemicals will boom. It will also help the country close the gap between production and consumption,” Abul Ela said.

“Egypt should bridge this gap and achieve a surplus,” he continued. “Butane is not found in gas fields. Therefore, Egypt will continue importing butane in the long run. Egypt produces between two and two and a half million tons of butane, while consumption stands at around four million tons annually.”

According to the International Monetary Fund, the “development of several new fields in the Nile Delta and Egypt's territorial waters in the Mediterranean has resulted in a significant increase in production, with gas output increasing to six [billion cubic feet] by September 2018, matching Egypt’s domestic consumption. Gas production is projected to rise further to 7.7 [billion cubic feet] by end-2019 and offers an opportunity to export gas to other countries in the region and elsewhere.”

For household use, natural gas is cheaper than butane canisters. “It’s cheaper for the majority of citizens. My gas bill may reach as high as 40 Egyptian pounds [$2.24] per month. Street vendors sell a butane canister for an average of 70 pounds [$3.90]. Some homes need an average of two canisters per month. That would make an average sum of 140 pounds [$8.15] spent on butane per month,” public servant Mohamed Kamal told Al-Monitor.

On June 16, 2018, the Egyptian government increased the price of a butane canister from 30 pounds ($1.73) to 50 ($2.89) as part of phasing out fuel subsidies. Kamal says street vendors buy them to resell at higher prices. “The street vendors add at least 15 pounds ($0.87) for home delivery,” he said.

Egyptians consume around 330 million butane canisters annually, according to Petroleum Ministry data. The Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation imports the equivalent of 183 million butane canisters, or 55% of Egypt’s annual needs.

“Street vendors increase the price to 80 pounds [$4.5] in certain seasons like the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and feasts. This adds more burdens to many families,” Kamal noted, voicing a wish that the National Gas Grid reach his home in El Hawamdeya town, Giza governorate.

Read more: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/04/egypt-national-gas-grid-to-reach-100-million-housing-units.html#ixzz5lvly9Wer

Western media’s anti-Egypt bias is glaring

By Linda S. Heard, Special to Gulf News (Excerpt; read on Western media's anti-Egypt bias is glaring)

Contrary to reports, referendum on constitutional amendments was a festive occasion

Egypt’s three-day referendum on their nation’s proposed amendments to the 2014 constitution began on Saturday. The turnout and the celebratory atmosphere surprised local commentators and forced the National Election Authority to rush more judges and assistants to cope with “huge” crowds at certain polling stations.

The results will not be known until this week, but judging by the large crowds seen rallying in favour in various governorates I suspect the changes will pass. However when reading reports by the foreign press, you would imagine the occasion was one of doom and gloom. On the contrary, it was a festive family occasion with music and spontaneous dancing.

For instance, the Guardian chose to feature a column by someone “living in exile” in the UK headed “Egypt referendum: No one believes this vote will be fair but we won’t be silenced” and illustrated with a woman carrying a Muslim Brotherhood logo. “In Egypt Referendum, Only the Turnout seems in Doubt” is a headline in the New York Times. Others falsely write off the referendum as a government ploy solely meant to extend the president’s term of office en route to dictatorship. Some media indoctrinated doubters on social media confronted with photographs and videos of enthusiastic crowds making victory signs wrote them off as photo-shopped; never mind that local networks aired live feeds throughout the day.

These sour disbelieving attitudes are reminiscent of those displayed in June-July 2013 when over 30 million Egyptians flooded the streets of Cairo and other cities demanding the failed Brotherhood president step down and when the army responded to those demands, the US, the UK and Europe punished Egypt for what they described as a coup.

Their double standards are glaring. The enforced removal of Ukraine’s president in 2014 was backed by the US and the EU which termed it not a coup but a “people’s revolution”. Moreover, the Trump White House has held a mix of carrots and threats to Venezuelan generals to forcibly unseat the elected leader President Nicolas Maduro while unilaterally appointing his replacement. Likewise the revolutions in Algeria and Sudan are being hailed.

The foreign mainstream media either does not understand the mood in Egypt or abides by an agenda set by the nation’s adversaries. The fact is that the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to support constitutional changes which encompass a new Upper House, the appointment of a vice-president, an allotment of 25 per cent of parliamentary seats for women as well as “an appropriate representation” of Coptic Christians, youth, farmers and workers. The military is tasked with “safeguarding the constitution” and the preservation of a civil state.

This is the article focused upon by media detractors. “The President of the Republic shall be elected for six (instead of four) years by the end of his predecessor’s term, though he/she cannot remain in office for more than two consecutive terms”. The message disseminated by western networks and newspapers is scathing accusing this term extension as being undemocratic. But wait a minute!

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just been re-elected for a fifth consecutive term and hardly a negative peep out of the usual scribblers who laughably laud the militarised Jewish state as the sole democracy in the Middle East.

Egyptians are among the most misunderstood people on the planet. Most I’ve spoken with are happy for their president to have more time to complete his vast array of mega projects — 12 new cities to cater for an increasing population of 100 million, three new airports, excavations of oil and gas, desalination plants, resurrection of industries such as cotton, hundreds of new factories, free zones, free furnished apartments for former slum dwellers.

On his watch, the economy has been re-energised. Growth as soared to 5.5 per cent, the highest in 10 years. The tourism sector is the fastest growing in North Africa with a 50 per cent increase in revenues last year. Foreign reserves are the highest recorded. Unemployment has been reduced from 13.3 per cent in 2014 to 8.4 per cent at the end of last year. Inflation is being reined in. The IMF, the World Bank and ratings agencies have all given Egypt’s economic reforms the thumbs up. Why shouldn’t his term be extended when he’s doing such a great job!

 

Linda S. Heard is an award-winning British political columnist and guest television commentator with a focus on the Middle East.

Link: Western media's anti-Egypt bias is blaring

 

القنبله الموقوته

( ...منقول: مفيش دوله بتزيد ٧٨ مليون فى ٦٩ سنه... هو انتحار جماعى)

الاهرام اليومي بقلم د. عزة رضوان صدقي 
القنبله الموقوته

تخيّل مصر وقد حققت الآمال التى نسعى إليها جميعا، اقتصاد مزدهر، فرص عمل وفيرة، سائحون بالملايين. تخيّل مشروعات عملاقة تأتى بالثراء وقد انهزم جبروت الإرهاب وطغيان الفساد وأصبحت مصر مستقرة وآمنة. تخيّل مصر تخطو خطوات سريعة إلى مستقبل باهر. تخيّل أيضا قيادة ممثلة فى رئيس وحكومة ومجلس أمة يعملون جميعا بجدية فى سبيل مصر، صادقون مع أنفسهم والشعب، يكنِّنون لمصر ولاءً عظيما يترجم إلى شغف لهزم الكبوة التى حاصرت مصر لسنين عدة. تخيّل أيضا مصريين أمناء على بلادهم حريصين على استقرارها، غيورين عليها وفخورين بها

هل يوجد شيء يمكن أن يعيق هذه الصورة المشرقة التى نسعى إليها جميعا؟ نعم، فالتكاثر السكانى هو القنبلة الموقوتة التى تقف أمام إنجاز هذا الأمل. فى سنة 1960 كان تعداد مصر نحو 28 مليونا وفى سنة 2013 تضاعف ثلاثة أضعاف إلى 82 مليونا، واليوم 100 مليون نسمة تقريبا يقيمون على أرض مصر. كذلك فإن 75 فى المائة من المصريين تحت 25 سنة، جميعهم يعيشون فى شريط ضيِّق من أراضيها وسوف يتكاثرون ويتضاعفون حيث إنه كل 15 ثانية يولد طفل فى مصر، أى 2.6 مليون طفل سنويا، لذلك سيصبح تعدادنا 128 مليونا فى سنة 2030

النمو السكانى سوف يلتهم كل الإنجازات والنمو. حتى إذا تغلّبنا على مشكلة سد النهضة، فقلة المياه سوف تصيبنا رضينا أم لم نرض بمعدل الاستهلاك الذى يتضاعف يوما بعد يوم. مع زيادة السكان أزمة الطاقة والكهرباء سوف تعود حتى مع المجهود الحالى فى توفير الطاقة. البنية التحتية التى يبذل مجهود فذ فى سبيل تحسينها سوف يطغى عليها ثقل الأعداد الجديدة التى سوف تستغلها. والأهم كيف يمكن تحسين منظومة التعليم ومنظومة الصحة، إذا أضفنا ملايين أخرى من البشر؟ وهل بإمكان طرق القاهرة أو المدن الأخرى استيعاب أناس جدد؟ وعندما نصبح 130 أو 150 مليونا كم من المدارس والمستشفيات والأساتذة والأطباء إضافية سوف نحتاج؟ وكيف نعالج المشكلة إذا كان الرد عند سؤال المصرى أنجب عددا كبيرا من الأطفال هو: هى جت على ّأنا؟, وهنا يكمن السؤال: ماذا نفعل حتى نحد من الانفجار السكانى ونقنع المصريين بحجم المشكلة؟

إن الحكومة اليوم تحاول جاهدة بث أهمية تحديد النسل وتوعية الشعب ومناشدته تحمل المسئولية، فأطلقت وزارة التضامن حملة اتنين كفاية التى ستستمر لمدة عامين وبميزانية 100 مليون جنيه. وتستهدف الحملة أكثر من مليون سيدة تحت سن الأربعين فى عشر محافظات تعانى التكاثر السكانى. وعن طريق هذه الحملة سوف تجهِّز العيادات وتوفِّر وسائل تنظيم الأسرة وترفع وعى السيدات. كما حددت وزارة التضامن الدعم النقدى للمحتاجين الذين أنجبوا طفلين فقط من أول يناير 2019. وقد أكد الرئيس السيسى فى عديد من المؤتمرات والمنتديات أنه لابد من تنظيم النسل وأن هذه المشكلة تحتاج إلى حوار مجتمعى وتوعية. كما وجّه كلامه إلى الشعب قائلا: ساعدونا فى النمو السكانى «بطفل أو اثنين بالكثير».

وحقيقة ببناء مدن جديدة مثل العلمين الجديدة والإسماعيلية الجديدة والمنصورة الجديدة كمناطق عمرانية متكاملة سوف يقل التكدس فى المدن العتيقة. وعندما تتحرك المنشآت الحكومية إلى العاصمة الجديدة سوف يقل العبء على القاهرة. حقيقة أن الدولة تعمل بجدية للحد من الانفجار السكانى، لكن هل هذا يكفى وهل التوعية تصل إلى المصريين؟

يجب أن يصبح الانفجار السكانى هو الشغل الشاغل للدولة، واعتباره القنبلة الموقوتة التى سوف تلتهم جميع الإنجازات. لابد ألا نكتفى بمبادرة مصغرة أو حملة ضيقة بل لابد من بدء حمله ذات أبعاد طويلة الأجل وشراكة جميع أطياف المجتمع ودعم مالى مكثف تشنها وتتبناها الحكومة، وتتضمن جميع الوزارات والجمعيات والمؤسسات غير الحكومية والخيرية والمحليات والإعلام والأزهر والكنيسة، مع الانتباه للتعليم ووضع برامج ترشيدية وحملات إعلامية فعّالة. كما لابد من أن يبارك الرئيس الحملة ويدشنها ويعلن أهميتها، ثم يتابع القضية فى كل فرصة. يجب أيضا مباركة المؤسسات الدينية من الأزهر والكنيسة لتنظيم النسل، وإن كان ليس لتحديده. كجزء أساسى من مهمة الحملة الذى هو نشر موقف الإسلام والمسيحية من تنظيم النسل، فالإسلام والمسيحية ليسا ضد تنظيم النسل. وقد قال الدكتور أحمد الطيب شيخ الأزهر عن تنظيم النسل: حلال حلال حلال، متسائلا: هل يرضى النبى محمد «صلى الله عليه وسلم» بأمة أطفالها فى الشوارع والعشوائيات ويسيطر عليها الفقر؟ كما يؤكد البابا توا ضروس حسب ما نقل موقع مدى مصر أن: الأسرة القبطية تنظِّم النسل جيدا، غالبا يكون لديها طفل أو اثنان أو ثلاثة أطفال على الأكثر.

يجب ألا نتهاون فى أكبر مشكلاتنا، بل يجب مواجهة أزمة الانفجار السكانى على أنها أخطر مشكلاتن

لمزيد من مقالات د. عزة رضوان صدقى

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Egypt’s leadership in Africa

Al-Ahram Weekly, by Azza Radwan Sedky (Link: Egypt's leadership in Africa)

Egypt is forging ahead in order to regain its just regional role in Africa, writes Azza [Radwan] Sedky 

In his recent whirlwind tour of West Africa where he travelled to Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal, interspersed with a visit to the US, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi visited the Gamal Abdel-Nasser University in Guinea where he unveiled a statue of the late Egyptian president.

Since the 1970s, when the university was named in Nasser’s honour, and even before, Egypt has played a fundamental role in Africa. Today, it is bolstering its leadership role in Africa once more.

Egypt is destined to take on this role, and the reasons for it are manifold. Not only is Egypt the axis of stability in the region, it is also endowed with a majestic history, a mighty military establishment, a kaleidoscope of experienced professionals, and a cultural wealth like no other on the African continent.

This leadership role also stems from the realisation that Africa is key to Egypt and vice versa. The Nile, Egypt’s backbone, joins Egypt to its fellow African nations for one thing. As other countries such as China, Israel, India and Brazil eye Africa’s prospects and venture onto the continent with their full weight behind them, Egypt must intensify its presence in Africa through collaboration, investment and diplomacy.

Over recent years, the Egyptian role in Africa has become somewhat blurred. This occurred after late president Anwar Al-Sadat’s peace treaty with Israel, during former president Hosni Mubarak’s tenure, especially after the assassination attempt in Ethiopia, and more importantly after the 25 January Revolution, when the focus was on domestic challenges in Egypt more than anything else. In 2013, after the ousting of ex-president Mohamed Morsi, Egypt was suspended from the African Union (AU).

So where is Egypt now and what will it take to revive Egypt’s leadership in Africa? As influential as Egypt is, it neither interferes in other countries’ business nor plays a partisan role in their affairs. Egypt aids in ending conflicts rather than in instigating them. It has no ulterior motive to overthrow a given regime, nor does it side with one faction against another. It can, however, be a catalyst that dampens crises and negotiates between adversaries. It stands firm in its belief in right and wrong, and it guides countries and steers them towards the right path.

Today, the important role that Egypt plays in support of the African countries is more pronounced than ever. The Africa 2018 Forum in Sharm El-Sheikh where over 1,000 African businessmen and policy-makers convened recently attests to that. It was the perfect platform to foster new partnerships and encourage joint ventures between Egypt and other African nations.

At the forum, President Al-Sisi called for urgency in tackling Africa’s needs. According to the magazine New Africa’s reporting on the forum, Egypt will establish “a risk insurance fund to encourage Egyptian entrepreneurs to invest in other African countries… A guarantee fund dedicated to investing in infrastructure, information technology and high-end digitisation of African economies, was also announced.”

In March this year, Egypt also assumed the chairmanship of the AU, and it is expected that it will use this responsibility in curbing illegal immigration and human trafficking and in concentrating on security and peacekeeping, all key factors towards ensuring Africa’s security and development. According to the website Xinuanet.com, “Egypt has undertaken a number of important initiatives to restore its role in Africa, including training for peacekeepers and military personnel, increasing security and intelligence cooperation.”

President Al-Sisi is earnestly taking on such responsibilities as his latest visits prove. In his efforts to strengthen Egypt’s role in Africa and cement ties with other African nations during his tenure as AU chairman, he has travelled to Africa more than any previous Egyptian leader. His trips to Africa account for 35 per cent of all his travels abroad, all of them intended to develop better relations and more solid ties.

Egypt is also opening new doors to trade and business with Africa. The Egyptian Arab Contractors Company has acquired seven road projects in Uganda and Cameroon with an estimated value of $400 million. Tanzania has awarded the Stiegler’s Gorge Dam project to Arab Contractors at a value of $3.6 billion. As they are given the green light to proceed, Arab Contractors and other Egyptian businesses will continue to compete on further infrastructure projects mutually benefiting Africa and Egypt.

In a further attempt to communicate with fellow Africans, the Egyptian State Information Serviced (SIS) has also launched a new portal in six languages, three of them African and including Swahili, Hausa and Amharic.

Egypt has been chosen to host the Africa Cup of Nations for 2019, another opportunity for it to shine. The last time Egypt hosted the event was in 2006, while in 2010 no African country voted for Egypt’s bid despite the late actor Omar Sharif’s moving speech in support of Egypt. In 2019, 16 of the 17 delegates voted in favour of Egypt’s hosting the 2019 African Cup of Nations.

Even after 2019 when it passes the AU leadership torch to another African country, Egypt will continue to capitalise on its involvement in Africa and lead the continent towards the safe haven it so justly deserves.

 

The writer is a political analyst.

Egypt effusive praise tempts securities stumble

Asia Times, by GARY KLEIMAN (Excerpt. Link: Egypt effusive praise tempts securities stumble)

Bonds and stocks continued to draw strong foreign investor inflows around the spring IMF-World Bank gathering

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets US President Donald Trump at White House during his official visit in Washington DC, on April 10. Photo: Handout / Anadolu Agency

Egyptian bonds and stocks, the latter up 15% on the Morgan Stanley Capital International core emerging markets index in the first quarter, continued to draw strong foreign investor inflows around the spring International Monetary Fund-World Bank gathering.

Government officials fanned out to promote an economic comeback and political stability narrative to public and private sector counterparts, with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi showered by US President Donald Trump’s “great job” praise in a White House meeting. The former army chief won a landslide 97% election victory last year, and is on track to secure constitutional extensions that could keep him in the post another 15 years. He agreed to a $12 billion IMF program in 2016, due to expire later this year, which floated the currency and cut fuel subsidies to win sovereign ratings upgrades to “B” and “positive.”

The stock exchange prepared for another wave of state bank and enterprise partial sales following a burst decades ago, and with the pound finally settling at its market level, overseas portfolio managers snapped up local Treasury bills with double-digit yields. Foreign reserves have tripled to $45 billion from their precarious position before the Fund package, with offshore natural gas discovery joining tourism rebound to boost external accounts. However, inflation is almost 15% and the fiscal deficit is stuck in high single digits in relation to gross domestic product. Improving indicators otherwise may have come at the cost of runaway public debt, over 90% of GDP, to invite a “great job” rethink on the longer-term performance and reform path.

GDP growth in 2019 is set at 5.5% as a Middle East-North Africa region leader, aided by “mega-projects” such as Suez Canal widening and the $45 billion Cairo relocation to a new administrative capital. The government’s “Vision 2030” charts a diversification strategy for the coming decades that also slashes poverty to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Banks have been directed to earmark one-fifth of loans over time to small and midsize business to support that sector. A foreign direct investment push is designed to increase the current $7 billion take, equal to 3% of GDP, after new bankruptcy, profit repatriation, and residency laws were passed. In their Washington rounds, officials noted that US company total commitments of around $25 billion represented 40% of their Africa total, and that Suez Canal modernization will complement the continent’s nascent sweeping free trade zone.

 

The fiscal targets in the $12 billion Fund agreement have been met despite the steep headline deficit, with a 2% primary surplus expected this year on higher tax collection. Food prices, and electricity and fuel tariff hikes with subsidy reduction, are the main inflation drivers. The currency is firm at around 17.5/dollar, and the central bank recently cut interest rates 100 basis points. The inflation goal is 9% by year-end with additional 3% leeway, and foreign investment in local government paper may double to $20 billion should it be within reach, but the more likely scenario is position unwinding that in turn weakens the pound. The current account gap will come in around 2% of GDP despite Zohr gas field production and tourism revenue approaching its pre-Arab Spring peak, with slumping Gulf remittances and expanding import appetite. Egyptian representatives conceded these points during the Bretton Woods meetings week but countered that the domestic consumption could draw on a large 85 million population as reported unemployment fell to a decade low of 9%. Standard Chartered Bank echoed these views in a January review, predicting Egypt’s ascent to a top 10 global economy in 2030, with $8 trillion in output as Africa’s giant.

Bank balance sheets revived the past five years with Moody’s Ratings assigning a positive outlook, with a 15% increase projected this year. Bad loans at 4.5% of portfolios are one-quarter the amount a decade ago, and capital adequacy is 15% of assets, according to 2018 figures. The loan/deposit ratio is low and local currency deposits are three-quarters of the total. Only 30% of citizens have formal accounts, and greater financial inclusion is to be achieved through digital and technological outreach under a joint industry-regulatory framework. Retail and Islamic lending are promising lines to match trends in neighboring countries, with the youth demographic inviting consumer credit. However, one-third of bank assets remain concentrated in government securities, and default or restructuring as widely feared before the IMF program may again be contemplated with exit over the coming months.