Housing for all
ON SUNDAY in Sixth of October City President Hosni Mubarak presented several young Egyptians leases for their newly purchased low-budget housing units in several new community cities. It was a token ceremony marking the handing over of 7,000 housing units in the cities of Sixth of October, 10th of Ramadan, New Damietta, New Beni Sueif and New Assiut, among others. The event is part of the Mubarak National Housing Project for Youth, which aims to alleviate Egypt's housing problem. The other major housing effort is the Future Housing Project, under the auspices of Mrs Suzanne Mubarak.
The national project, launched in 1996, is being implemented in 13 new cities across the country. The first phase constructed 70,000 housing units by 1999 in the cities of Sixth of October, Al-Ubour and Al-Shuruq. Another 20,000 units were completed in 2001. So far the project cost LE4 billion, LE1.5 billion of which was in the form of direct subsidies and over LE1 billion in cooperative government loans.
Priority was given to those from older age groups, those who are married, have a higher degree of education or who work in the satellite cities. After the ceremony, attended by a large group of top government officials and businessmen, Mubarak toured a number of industrial projects in the satellite city. He stressed to the industrialists the importance of opening up new foreign markets for Egyptian products and increasing exports.
