French Ambassador to Egypt Stéphane Romatet said on Thursday that his country is ready to assist Egypt in the implementation of projects to build sustainable cities, during “Making the Sustainable City”, a business forum held at state-run newspaper Al-Ahram’s headquarters.

In his opening speech, the ambassador said it is important for Egypt to begin this step to limit many issues in the country’s construction industry, pointing out that his country is also encouraging French companies operating in Cairo to cooperate with other organisations on such projects.

The forum highlighted the achievements of Egyptian and French companies in the fields of energy efficiency and sustainable city projects. Also attending were Advisor to the President for National and Strategic Projects Ibrahim Mahlab, Minister of Environment Khaled Fahmy, and Chaiperson of the New Administrative Capital Company Ahmed Zaki Abdeen.

CEO of Al Ismaelia for Real Estate Investment Mohamed Taher said that among the new projects, and a focus for his company, is renovating some old buildings in downtown Cairo from the Khedivate era, transforming them into modern ones to return life to the city centre, which has an estimated population of 10,000 to 15,000 people.

“The modern buildings will be designed in a way that suits the current environment, as young people now demand renewal, development, and modern facilities, such as the internet,” he continued.

Al-Ahram Chairperson Abdel Mohsen Salama opened the forum by saying the event reflects the strong relationship between the two countries and represents Egyptian-French cooperation. He also referred to President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and French President Emmanuel Macron’s affirmation, during their recent meeting, of their countries’ common relations that are well-established in various fields.

The forum was part of French-Egyptian Urban Week. From 25 to 27 November, the French Institute in Egypt will host another forum on the same subject, entitled “Sustainable City Industry – French-Egyptian convergent views on the challenges of open governance”.