What does the new cabinet have lined up for healthcare, housing, and communications infrastructure? More public hospitals, clinics, housing, and a renewed push to extend telecom reach and digitization are some of the infrastructure goals highlighted in a 276-page report that lays out the new Madbouly-led government’s agenda for the coming three years.

ICYMI: We have also run deep dives on the new cabinet’s logistics and transport infrastructure strategy, green agenda, and education policy.

HEALTHCARE-

More hospitals and clinics: The cabinet has outlined ambitious targets for the construction of new hospitals and clinics and the refurbishment of existing healthcare facilities as part of a bid to boost health coverage. The report sees the state building or rehabilitating 54 hospitals and 516 clinics during the current FY 2024-25, with that target moving to 30 hospitals and 500 clinics in FY 2025-26, before scaling up to 164 hospitals and 3k clinics by 2030. Along with the planned investment in healthcare facilities is the government’s ambitious goal of reaching 100% insurance coverage by 2030.

Also lined up for investments: Emergency medical services, medical equipment at health facilities, and specialized units such as ICUs, cancer wards, and neonatal incubators throughout Egypt are also expected to see upgrades. Improvements to mental health services, rehabilitation clinics, and health ministry laboratories are also on the agenda. Meanwhile, the private sector will receive incentives for investments in the local medical and pharma industries.

The renewed drive for healthcare infrastructure will also see an emphasis on peripheral regions: Outlying governorates will benefit from new specialist hospitals, with remote regions also gaining better coverage via mobile clinics. Meanwhile the private sector will receive facilitated funding for investments in healthcare establishments in new cities and border regions, the report says.

More digitization in the healthcare sector is also on the agenda: The new cabinet has also outlined plans to boost digitalization and harness AI in healthcare in order to improve services. This will involve improved governance for healthcare databases via supporting legislation, regulation, and oversight. The report also outlines continued efforts toward a unified national healthcare database and a unified platform for all public health facilities.

HOUSING AND REAL ESTATE-

Social housing projects are getting a shot in the arm: The report outlines a six-fold increase in the number of social housing units, rising from some 54k units at the end of FY 2023-24 to 324k units by 2030, the report says. The expansion should see the number of people benefiting from social housing ramp up from 266k residents to 1.6 mn during the same period.

Doubling down on the real estate sector: The new government intends to put in place measures to support investments in Egypt’s real estate and construction sectors, singling out the sector as critical to the economy’s future success. These include steps to streamline urban planning and digitize permits. Efforts to support real estate exports also got a mention, with the government eyeing plans to improve the competitiveness of the local real estate market as a destination for international investments. Also on the agenda is more private sector involvement in infrastructure projects.

Green cities got a mention too: The policy report highlighted a renewed emphasis on green and sustainable buildings, with the government lining up new legislation to codify standards and licensing for green real estate projects. Also in the pipeline are sustainable cities, powered by renewable energy and leveraging circular economies in accordance with government-set guidelines.

DIGITAL AND COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE-

Better connectedness: The state plans to double down on projects to develop telecom and digital infrastructure throughout Egypt and extend their coverage, particularly in remote regions. The number of cellular towers is slated to increase from 35k towers in FY 2023-24 to some 48k by 2030. The report also sees the portion of broadband subscriptions per 100 people increasing from 51.8 at present to 56.3 by 2030, with the same period seeing cellular data coverage increasing from 75% to 79% of Egypt’s population. These and other investments are slated to see the contribution of the communications and IT sector to GDP increasing from 5.8% in FY 2023-24 to 8% by 2030.

Data centers and subsea cables: The cabinet is also looking to put together an integrated plan to reel in investments for data centers in Egypt. Also on the cards is a freezone leveraging close proximity to subsea cables that carry 90% of data between Europe, Africa, and Asia.

More e-government is also on the agenda: The report notes continuing initiatives to connect all government buildings with fiber optic cables as part of a drive to promote a digital economy and e-government. The proportion of government transactions that are processed digitally is slated to rise from some 33% for the 2023-24 fiscal year to 37% by 2030.

And to protect all this data: The cabinet looks to roll out new legal and regulatory frameworks to promote cybersecurity and combat cybercrimes while putting in place plans to hedge against cyberattacks, the report says. These measures look to boost Egypt’s ranking in the UN’s International Telecommunication Union’s Global Cybersecurity Index. The report also places particular emphasis on securing the digital infrastructure of critical sectors such as defense, healthcare, education, and finance.

The private sector will also have to play its part in protecting data, with the cabinet planning to promote local and international investment in cybersecurity and to establish incubators for startups in the field. Large private sector companies will also be encouraged to take steps to protect their data from cyberattacks.

Your top infrastructure stories for the week:

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  • Gov’t delivers waste recycling plant in Minya: The Local Development Ministry has delivered an EGP 90 mn waste recycling plant in Minya’s Tuna El Gabal area. (Statement)
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