The Economic and Social Development Plan for the year 2012 – 2013 is the first step of a development program extended until 2022. The Plan is a multi-sectoral document at national level that analyzes the development the development envisaged in the various sectors (agriculture, transformation industry, petroleum and natural gas, electricity, transportation, Suez canal, tourism, communication and information technology) and the strategies for achieving this programmatic development. It envisages an economic growth of 3.5% with a sensible unemployment reduction in various sectors. In particular, in the context of social policies it aims at a gradual decrease of poverty through intervention on three pillars as follows (i) development, employment and inflation; (ii) human development through an increased level of education, scientific research, health and housing; and (iii) social insurance networks represented in insurance, pension and subsidies systems and aids to the low-income classes. To eliminate food insecurity and malnutrition, the Plan proposes a program of agricultural expansion and increasing of production to be reached through (i) a larger amount of reclaimed lands and an improved irrigation system, especially in the Upper Nile region; (ii) the increment of production shall be achieved through both the renovation and the maintenance of the sewage system and (iii) the adoption and production of crop varieties resistant to salinity and drought and high production varieties; (iv) a continuous study on the effects of climate change on the agricultural crops; (v) achieving greater self-sufficiency with regard to strategic products such as wheat, corn, milk and sugar. In order to make agriculture and fisheries more productive and sustainable, main actions are directed at (i) the maximum exploitation of rain and flood water and water reservoir; (ii) use of solar energy for seawater desalination; (iii) protecting the animal wealth, also with the adoption of a vaccination system; (ii) increasing the livestock production to reduce national meat import; (iv) developing fisheries as a less expensive alternative to the meat proteins improving the aquaculture and developing fishing methods and means; (v) strengthening competitiveness of Egyptian agricultural products on local and international markets. As for the environmental protection, shall be given particular attention to the pollution of the waterways to be protected by (i) issuing strengthen legislation to punish pollution producers; (ii) developing a system of treatment against water pollutants before their entry in the water supply network. Regarding the Governance, the Plan calls for a good governance characterized by transparency and an institutional reform.
Égypte · 2012-11-01