Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi issued the directives in a meeting with ministers today to follow up on the project.

He also ordered the government to boost state facilities' ability to serve people with special needs in accordance with the international codes in this area, presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement.

The meeting tackled outlining a vision for establishing the prosthetics complex in Egypt in accordance with the latest international technological and medical standards, the statement said.

The meeting reviewed outcomes of talks with various global companies and foreign field visits to get acquainted with the latest technologies in this regard.

The establishment of the complex will be based on various main axes, the most important of which is the target of establishing high-quality components, transferring technology, localising industry, and enhancing scientific research and development.

The complex will comprise a group of factories that will produce components for prosthetics, orthoses, pre-fabricated materials, wheelchairs and mobility aids, orthopaedic shoes, and silicone products, the statement noted.

Supporting persons with special needs

Egypt allocates EGP 5 billion annually to support people with disabilities, according to Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine El-Qabbaj, who attended the meeting on Tuesday.

There are nearly 10 million Egyptians with special needs, according to the latest statistics issued by the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) in 2020.

In January, El-Sisi ordered the creation of a comprehensive database for people with mobility impairment nationwide and followed up on a plan to establish the industrial complex for prosthetic devices.

This came a month after El-Sisi ordered the establishment of a special fund for Egyptians with special needs and the inclusion of the needs of Egyptians with special needs in the countryside-focused Decent Life national project.

The directives in December were announced during an event for the differently-abled in Cairo that was held in celebration of the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

El-Sisi ordered in November 2020 consolidating the state’s efforts to produce advanced prostheses in Egypt with the assistance of foreign expertise.

The Egyptian government provides a host of medical, social, housing, political, and educational services to persons with disabilities and has announced securing tens of thousands of job opportunities for this sector over the past years.

In March this year, El-Qabbaj said 300,000 students will be added to the social solidarity ministry’s initiative to pay the tuition fees for students with special needs, raising the total number of beneficiaries to 500,000.

The ministry has also established more than 630 rehabilitation and training centres for people with disabilities, El-Qabbaj added.

Egypt declared 2018 as a year for persons with disabilities.