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Al-Ahram Weekly 27 April - 3 May 2000 Issue No. 479 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 27 April - 3 May 2000 Issue No. 479
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Special Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters After the surgery, the cure
By Rehab Saad
Not long ago the southern governorate of Assiut was described, among other Upper Egyptian provinces, as a hotbed of Islamist militancy. Indeed, in October 1981, and immediately after the assassination of former President Anwar El-Sadat during a military parade, the city of Assiut witnessed a minor armed insurrection by local militants. The attempted insurrection was rapidly quelled, but the city and the governorate remained for nearly two decades synonymous with fundamentalism and terrorism.
These days appear to be a thing of the past. The recognition that the plight of the Egyptian south went well beyond the prevalence of Islamist militancy -- that the latter was more a symptom than the disease -- was underscored by no less than President Hosni Mubarak who, on a visit to Assiut, declared that "It is our duty now to compensate the people of Upper Egypt for the past and for the suffering they have endured," Mubarak said.
Accordingly, a comprehensive plan was prepared for the development of southern Egypt and developmental projects were launched. These included new industrial areas, new housing communities, new bridges across the Nile, the improvement of the railway system and the establishment of infrastructure projects such as water, sewage, schools, hospitals and roads.
"The security measures that are enforced to combat terrorism are like a surgical operation that helps to alleviate a patient's pain but does not cure a chronic disease. We have many social and economic problems that should be addressed seriously," said Ahmed Hammam, the governor of Assiut, in an interview with Al-Ahram Weekly on the occasion of his governorate's national day.
He explained that these socio-economic problems are topped by unemployment. "Terrorism is a possibility at any time and any place if the soil is fertile. Here, in Assiut, we are doing our best to minimise the likelihood of terrorism," he said.
Hammam believes that development plans, which "will make it possible for thousands of young people to get jobs and earn a living," will solve a major part of the problem and this is what he is focusing on at present.
Industrial and agricultural projects are the basic components of the development plan. As Hammam explained, there are six industrial zones in Assiut, in three of which the infrastructure and public utilities have been completed. "The industrial zones have 609 projects, whose construction costs amount to LE842.6 million, and they will provide job opportunities for more than 23,000 people," he said.
Assiut is now attracting large companies: international, such as the pharmaceutical manufacturer T3A, as well as Egyptian, such as the Chipsy potato company.
Although, as Hammam explains, there were initial difficulties with the T3A factory, which is a capital-intensive, high-tech venture, an agreement between the city and the factory's management was reached to establish a number of complementary industries. These include a cardboard factory for packaging medicines, a shop for printing the products' usage instructions and a glass factory for manufacturing bottles.
Chipsy, a potato chip-making company, was also attracted by Assiut. "They found out that they have a large market here. Instead of transporting their products from their factory in 6th of October City, they decided to build a factory in Assiut and distribute their products all over Upper Egypt from here," Hammam said. "Moreover, other job opportunities will be provided by the governorate in cooperation with the Ministry of Administrative Development."
Hammam stressed, however, that additional investments are needed by his governorate. "Assiut will not be built by the money of its sons only. We need investors from outside the governorate to build and produce," he said. He added that incentives are provided to investors, such as free land, complete with infrastructure.
Agriculture is also among the governorate's priorities and a major investment target. "Assiut is an agricultural governorate, but we want to get out of the old [Nile] valley and invest in the [nearby] desert," Hammam said. In Wadi Al-Assiuti, about 7,000 feddans are being reclaimed at present. Five feddans, as well as a house, will be given to those interested in agriculture, and about 100 families stand to gain from this project, Hammam said. Although the area is currently dependent on well-water, Hammam explained that there is an ambitious plan to extend Nile water by canal to the area in cooperation with the ministries of agriculture and irrigation. "This will make it possible for us to reclaim 40,000 feddans in the future," he said.
The Assiut governor also has ambitious plans to put Assiut on the tourist map. He believes that it has the potential needed for tourism: monuments -- Pharaonic, Coptic and Islamic -- the Nile and an airport with two weekly flights connecting Assiut with Cairo.
"The first thing I want is to increase the number of flights. Effective June, there will be a third flight, connecting Assiut not only with Cairo, but also with Alexandria. Moreover, we are in the process of discussing with private airlines the possibility of organising daily flights between Cairo and Assiut. This will encourage day trips to Assiut as well as conference tourism," he said.
Hammam stressed that there are no security restrictions to obstruct the resumption of Nile cruises from Cairo to Assiut. Cruises from Cairo to Aswan have been halted for security reasons and Nile cruisers only shuttle between Luxor and Aswan. This affected tourism to Assiut because the Cairo-Aswan cruisers used to stop there overnight and tourists used to disembark and go shopping.
"The Cairo-Aswan trips will be resumed probably in the coming few months and this will help us a lot. Moreover, the promotion of the route of the Holy Family will also be a big boost because Assiut is an important station along that route," Hammam said.
According to the governor, Assiut is now accessible by a good network of roads: two desert roads, one in the east and the other in the west, in addition to a road that runs through cultivated land to connect Assiut with other governorates. "This road has been lit, reducing by 70 per cent the number of accidents that used to take place there. Even branch roads have been lit and almost every village and town in Assiut has been lit," he said.
Drinking water also has been a problem, but it is about to be solved. "By the end of this year, the problem will be over in Assiut City after the installation of a new water plant to produce 50,000 cubic metres of water daily. It is planned that by the year 2017, the plant's production will cover all the villages and towns in Assiut governorate," Hammam said.
New Assiut or "Assiut Al-Gedida" is one of the major housing projects launched on the eastern bank of the Nile. It is being built on an area of 32,000 feddans and can accommodate up to 100,000 people. According to officials, the new city's construction costs amount to LE61 million while the infrastructure cost is LE75 million.
