Minister of Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates’ Affairs Nabila Makram said Egyptian expats do not hesitate to respond to calls from the homeland concerning the initiatives launched by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

In an interview with MENA Board Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Ali Hassan, Makram said that Egyptian expats are aware of the honest and serious will of the political leadership to accomplish development and improve the living conditions of citizens in villages and the countryside.

When President El-Sisi speaks to the people of Egypt, he sends messages that touch the hearts of Egyptians, not only at home, but also abroad, she said, referring in this regard to El-Sisi’s speech at Cairo Stadium in July about the launch of the first conference of the national Decent Life Initiative for the development of the Egyptian countryside.

El-Sisi emphasised the importance of linking Egyptian expatriates with their homeland by involving them in the development projects currently being implemented across the nation.

Makram thanked the Egyptian expats who donated their resources during the Conference of Egyptian Entities Abroad to the implementation of the Decent Life Initiative and those who are ready to participate in this important national initiative.

She also praised the young students who were studying abroad before the pandemic who are now conducting field work for the initiative until it is time for them to return to their universities.

Makram said she will also launch — in cooperation with Planning Minister Hala El-Said — the Model Village in Fayoum Initiative, adding that she contacted Fayoum Governor Ahmed El-Ansari and an Egyptian investor in Kuwait who wants to transform one of Fayoum’s villages into a model village.

Egypt’s Emigration Minister Nabila Makram with MENA Board Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Ali Hassan during the interview in her office in Cairo, on Thursday 26, August , 2021.

Another Egyptian investor in the UAE is also interested in contributing to developing a village in Sohag, she said.

Makram asserted that the volume of contributions from Egyptian expats in the state’s development efforts are sizable, adding that their efforts are divided into promoting Egypt’s development projects at home and supporting them whether spiritually, financially, or logistically.

The ministry is keen on promoting all of the national projects that have been launched by the state and organising visitsfor Egyptian expats to witness the size of the accomplishments being realised at home, especially in light of the rumors and false reports questioning the development efforts exerted by the state that are circulated abroad, she said.

She said the second Conference of Egyptian Entities Abroad, which was organised by the Ministry of Emigration, demonstrated Egyptian expats’ strong desire to participate in the Decent Life Initiative, referring to the project’s official platform on social media, which is scheduled to be launched on September 25 through the Zoom application under the auspices of Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly to support this presidential initiative in the US and Canada.

During the conference, the ministry was keen on organising field visits for the participants to Qalioubiya governorate to see for themselves the achievements that have been made in terms of improving sanitation, building health centers and schools, and supplying natural gas to households, in addition to other in-progress projects, Makram said.

She also mentioned the ‘Speak Arabic Festival’ that was organised by the ministry as well on the sidelines of the conference with the participation of Egyptian children living abroad.

On involving youths Egypt’s sustainable development, Makram said we have two types of youths abroad: the young people of the second and third generations, and those who are studying abroad under the umbrella of the Emigration Ministry.

After they finish their education and return to the homeland, they will be trained in Egyptian ministries and bodies concerned with benefiting the Egyptian state given that many of them are ready to help the state in its development efforts, the minister added.

Makram asserted the importance the political leadership attaches to higher education and Egypt’s universities, saying Egypt now has many international universities such as Galala University, Al-Alamein International University, and New Mansoura University.

On the Egypt’s Voice in Africa Initiative, Makram asserted that the initiatives launched by the Ministry of Emigration align with the directives of the Egyptian state and the vision of the political leadership, which pays great attention to Africa.

This encouraged the ministry to take more care of Egyptian communities in the African continent, she said.

The minister said she will propose to PM Madbouly to start organising important visits to African countries to listen to the needs of Egyptian communities in the rest of Africa as well as market Egyptian products to the African consumer.

Regarding the 4th edition of the presidential initiative dubbed ‘Reviving Roots’ — which targets Egyptian, Cypriot, and Greek youths — Makram said that this edition is in line with the interest of the political leadership to not only empower youths, but also involve them in the decision making process.

Regarding the latest preparations for the 5th edition of the Egypt Can Conference — which will focus on industry and be held under the auspices of President El-Sisi after it was postponed due to the coronavirus — Makram said that preparatory dialogue sessions have been held that tackled industrial funding, car industries, spinning and weaving, technology, and other major industrial fields.

As for the latest efforts regarding illegal immigration and the presidential initiative ‘Life Saving Boats’, Makram asserted that the file has gotten much attention from the government since El-Sisi announced in 2016 that no boat holding illegal immigrants has will set sail from Egyptian soil from that point onwards. This has been a major success of the Egyptian state and its institutions, she added.

To maintain this success, President El-Sisi launched the Life Saving Boats Initiative in 2019 and assigned the Ministry of Emigration to implement it.

The presidential initiative presents a new methodology to combating illegal immigration, she said.

Makram went on to say that the initiative calls for providing alternative chances for illegal immigrants or just helping them to legally immigrate given the fact that it offers immigrants training courses to improve their qualifications and awareness.

She noted that the ministry’s officials have embarked on field tours of governorates that are hubs for illegal immigration and spoke with civil society organisations that specialise in training youths who want to travel abroad.

She also said that training and awareness programmes are underway to prepare trained and skilled workers, adding that immediately after tapping EU markets, Egypt now has trained workers who are able to meet the needs of the EU’s labour market.

Speaking about the ministry’s efforts to reach out to Egyptians living abroad in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, Makram said that her ministry was keen on establishing a dialogue with doctors abroad to capitalise on their experiments and ideas on how different world countries have been handling the coronavirus.

She, meanwhile, urged all Egyptians abroad to stick to precautionary measures set by their host countries to curb the spread of the virus.

Additionally, Makram said that she has been discussing with PM Madbouly about vaccinating Egyptian workers that have plans to travel abroad with jabs that are approved in their destination to facilitate their journey.