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follow up
handset thefts rise with mobile phone ownership
[“cell phone tariffs reduced, handset prices soar,” june
2003]
ever since mobile phones became available to the average joe in
1998 – quickly becoming the accessory by which joe would henceforth
be defined – the mahmoul market has been growing fast. since
the launch of mobinil in the same year, and then of competitor click
(now vodafone), the number of subscribers has soared to a current
5 million. and according to analysts, this number would double after
the launch – if ever – of a third mobile network.
the market for mobile handsets, meanwhile, boomed in tandem with
subscriber numbers, and now cell phones, with their flashing lights
and fancy tunes, are veritably ubiquitous.
such an attractive and expensive – and easily portable –
commodity has proven irresistible to thieves and pickpockets. the
number of mobile phone thefts – particularly on university
campuses and on public transportation – is, by all accounts,
staggering.
police sources declined to reveal any official statistics, but according
to one anonymous officer, the interior ministry doesn’t have
any accurate numbers, as “not all those whose phones are stolen
report the incident.” thirty-six year old accountant amin zaki
explained the apathy: “even after reporting to the police,
we’re sure not to get our phones back,” he said.
reminiscent of the slayings in american inner cities in the early
1990s in which people were killed for prestigious accessories, a
university student in cairo was murdered for his mobile handset
in january. shortly afterwards, an engineer died defending himself
from three men who stole his phone.
such extreme cases, however, are unusual, at least in egypt. far
more common are simple cases of theft, in which a phone left unattended
on a restaurant table vanishes into the ether. “my phone was
on the table – when i turned my head for five seconds, it was
gone,” reported one angry victim.
stolen cell phones often turn up in the hands of street vendors
and in small retail stores in areas like sayeda zeinab, sayeda aisha,
matariya and – most notoriously – on abdel aziz street.
twenty-five year old ahmed tawfik claims he found his phone in a
store in sayeda zeinab a month after it was stolen. “i was
astonished when i found it. and when i told the guy in the shop
it was mine, he told me he had bought it for £e 150.”
mohamed khalil, who works downtown peddling use of his mobile phone
for 50 piastres a minute, said theft was commonplace. “a friend
of mine with the same job was ripped off by a well-dressed man who
came along and walked away with his mobile phone within seconds,”
he related.
the police, in the meantime, are doing what little they can. in
market areas, street vendors are often subject to extra scrutiny,
and police can confiscate the merchandise of anyone suspected of
selling stolen goods.
summer said
top
sat station to sate dearth of arabic business news
[“softer news could play well with advertisers,” march
2003]
seeking to fill the gap in arabic-language financial and economic
regional news coverage, a new, news-oriented satellite tv station
is now broadcasting 24 hours a day. based in dubai’s media
city and operating out of six regional bureaus, cnbc arabiya is
“the first internationally branded business and economic news
channel in the region,” according to the station’s chairman
and ceo zafar siddiqi.
speaking at the american university in cairo in june, siddiqi called
cnbc arabiya a “milestone” for the regional business scene.
the station, he added, will be a platform for “ongoing inter-arab
discussion,” focusing on important economic issues from globalization
and investment to living standards and development. he went on to
predict that, “cnbc arabiya will change the face of broadcasting
in the region as we know it.”
true, viewers looking for an alternative to western news stations
– such as the bbc or cnn – can already tune into arabic-language
news via qatar-based al-jazeera, or recently launched saudi rival
al arabiyah. but these focus primarily on political news coverage
and analysis – not on the economic impact of regional and global
current events. this, according to siddiqi, is where cnbc will have
an edge.
after establishing middle east business news in dubai in 2001, siddiqi
teamed up with us-based cnbc international to launch the arabic-only
business satellite station. in addition to offices in cairo, beirut,
baghdad, jeddah, riyadh and manama, cnbc arabiya has correspondents
stationed in london and new york. former cnn correspondent sami
zeidan, former al-jazeera presenter ameen abu yehyaa and former
bbc and middle east broadcasting corporation executive producer
lina sawan are among the reporters on the broadcast team.
it is too early to determine the nature of cnbc arabiya’s editorial
content, which the station insists will be controlled via the news
team in dubai. but, according to siddiqi, transparency and objective
reporting “are key, as we move forward in business reporting
in the region.”
in related news, the united states broadcasting board of governors
is reportedly in the early stages of launching its own arabic-language
satellite tv station in washington, dc that will air news, entertainment,
children’s programming and documentaries for middle eastern
audiences.
daliah merzaban
top
craft souk goes under-marketed
[“an industry laid low,” november 2001]
only two months after the official opening of a new arts and crafts
market in old cairo, vendors complain that a lack of publicity and
poor management are holding back a potentially attractive tourist
destination.
situated amid ancient christian, islamic and jewish monuments, the
fustat market and its 40 shops showcase authentic egyptian arts
and crafts. the ministry of tourism, along with the cairo governorate,
built the market in 2001, hoping it would attract tourists to a
neighborhood traditionally famous for its handicrafts. since then,
two opening ceremonies – both attended by the tourism minister
and other government officials – have been held, most recently
in may.
but so far, business has been slow, and shop owners complain of
a lack of marketing and advertising. “for the past two years,
the market has not been placed on the tourist map of egypt,”
sohir khamis, a shop owner, remarked. “very few people have
heard about the market, which is very frustrating for us. we expect
the government to do its best to entice people here.”
at fustat, an attractive layout of shops display an array of arts
and crafts, including woodwork, knitted bedouin fabrics, handmade
candles, patchwork and a variety of metal, glass and leather goods.
the market is different in nature from the older and better-known
khan al khalili in that only artisans and craftspeople can lease
shops. the savvy merchants associated with the khan – who peddle
mass-produced souvenirs and trinkets – are absent.
over the past half-century, local artists have complained about
a marked decline in the quality of authentic arts and crafts. according
to ahmed ismail, whose shop is situated on the market’s main
street, however, fustat has the potential to “become a new
center of craftsmanship and cultural activity.”
shop owners, though, believe a clearer marketing strategy is necessary
to display what’s on offer, namely, artwork that is “attractive
to tourists and those with refined tastes,” according to one
exhibitor at a store for knitted goods. vendors note that while
the market boasts an enviable location, it hasn’t been taken
advantage of.
some said the ministry should either improve the management or leave
the job to the private sector. “it’s a pity to see the
tourist buses come and park in front of us without even knowing
the market exists,” the exhibitor said. “we are bored
of having no visitors.”
nihal jamal
top
mega-retailers expand to meet demand
[“french retailer, dubai developer aim for middle market,”
february 2003]
foreign investors have their sights set on the local retail sector,
with plans for immense new investments to expand grocery store chains
into egypt’s urban centers.
business at the two new branches of french-designed “hypermarket”
carrefour has exceeded the expectations of company executives, who
are planning to build two new branches in cairo. “the market
for retail in egypt is very optimistic,” carrefour country
manager herve magidier said in july, citing the success of the chain’s
first two operations in maadi and alexandria, which respectively
opened in december 2002 and january this year.
carrefour plans to issue tenders by the end of august for two new
hypermarkets in heliopolis and sixth of october city. the complexes,
which together will cost an estimated £e 1.25 billion.
magidier added that in the long term, the chain – which made
its middle east debut in dubai in 1995 – would build between
four and five more carrefour stores in cairo, one or two more in
alexandria, and possibly one in the delta. “the target is to
expand this kind of retail to all of the middle east,” he said.
meanwhile, the smaller but longer established supermarket chain
metro markets llc – egypt’s largest food retailer –
is also planning to expand its already extensive reach. in june,
the international finance corporation (ifc) – the world bank’s
private sector arm – agreed to provide metro with a $15 million
loan to build new stores in cairo, alexandria, ismailiya, hurghada
and mansoura. “this egyptian-owned retail chain will add to
the rapidly growing retail sector, and services in general, while
also strengthening [egypt’s] retail distribution network,”
ifc middle east/north africa region director sami haddad noted in
a press release.
the two competitors, though, are basing their operations on two
different concepts. while carrefour has a limited number of massive
superstores offering groceries, electronics, music, clothing items
and even furniture, metro is a smaller-scale grocery outlet with
an extensive network of branches.
but the chains share the same overall aim – to engender a retail
culture in a society where one-stop shopping has never been the
norm. according to carrefour alexandria store manager youssef zagnout,
the one-stop concept generally appeals to egyptians. “the egyptian
consumer is a good consumer, just like any consumer in europe,”
zagnout said.
to be competitive, magidier added, carrefour must “buy better”
via the bulk purchasing patterns that enable mammoth superstores
around the world to offer the absolute lowest retail prices on all
items – which is ultimately what attracts customers. “our
duty is to be cheaper than anywhere in egypt by the end of the year,”
he said.
daliah merzaban
top
port saidi opposition blasts government on economy
[“port said economy sinks, october 2002”]
the last session of the parliamentary year, held on 4 july, saw
a heated confrontation between the government and parliamentarians
of port said regarding the deterioration of that city’s once
thriving economy. according to the mps, the governorate has witnessed
an unprecedented loss of revenue since the elimination of its duty-free
status in january, and the government is not doing enough about
it. “the fate of thousands of people who lost their jobs as
a result of the decision to eliminate the free zone is in the hands
of the government,” charged saif mahmoud, an independent.
while article 5 of 2002 annulled earlier legislation making port
said a duty-free zone, explained mahmoud, it also states that the
government will guarantee the economic stability of the city’s
residents. instead of the promised stability, though, the city found
itself facing a 35-percent drop in business, he said.
the attempt to phase out port said’s privileges by allowing
citizens a six-garment maximum on visits to the city (where people
traditionally go to buy imported clothes duty free) has badly hurt
merchants. “allowing the purchase of only six garments per
visit to port said, with a maximum of four visits per year, left
traders unable to pay the rent of their shops,” charged mahmoud.
parliamentarians of different political stripes agreed with the
grim assessment.
according to tagammu mp al badri farghali, “75 percent of port
said’s economy has collapsed. half a million people in port
said don’t have work now. the city has dropped from the government’s
memory.”
akram el shaer, of the officially banned but tolerated muslim brotherhood,
cited equally damning figures. “because of the elimination
of the free zone, customs revenue has fallen to £e 4 million
from £e 31 million,” he said, “while tourism has
decreased to an average of 5-percent occupancy from 63 percent.”
it was left to minister of state for rural development moustafa
abdel-qader to defend the government’s position.
according to abdel-qader, a ministerial committee has been established
mandated with planning the future development of port said, including
the launch of industrial and agricultural projects. “the government,”
he explained, “is going to establish three industrial zones
that will include 106 projects, as well as the industrial zone project
in south port said, which will... create 12 million new job opportunities
for residents.” the government has also included the development
of port said in its five-year (2002-07) development plan, which
will allocate £e 2.2 billion to the struggling governorate.
but whether such nebulous committees and medium-range planning will
be enough to save the faltering economy of port said – considered
until recently to be one of the most prosperous cities in the middle
east – remains to be seen.
mohamed mursi
top
rising prices put opera house out of reach of the
masses
[“tax cuts spur cinema surge,” august 2000]
the rash of inflation that followed january’s currency devaluation
has even affected the cost of entertainment, with moviegoers complaining
of £e 25 admission costs at some of cairo’s swankier
cinemas.
less expectedly, rising ticket prices at the cairo opera house too
appear to be undermining that venerable institution’s traditional
role as an affordable entertainment venue for the masses.
over the past two summer seasons, open-air concert prices have risen
as much as 150 percent, with government funding cuts making it more
difficult for the opera house to break even.
“due to the serious economic depression egypt is currently
undergoing, the state can no longer fund concerts,” explained
cairo opera house chairman samir farag. “that’s why the
opera house is overburdened with financial loads and is unable to
reach the same profit levels it reached in the past.”
currently, the strategy is to maximize profits from popular concerts
to make up for losses incurred by less popular ones. accordingly,
ticket prices for concerts by renowned musicians – such as
omar khairat and sobhi bidair – have become particularly expensive.
student discounts, meanwhile, have been phased out for most big-name
shows, and discounts on others rarely exceed 25 percent.
patrons, not surprisingly, are unhappy, arguing that it is the culture
ministry’s duty to keep musical performances affordable to
the population at large.
farag, too, insists that the performing arts should be kept accessible
to the public, across the board. concert profits, he explained,
are put towards funding free music events, such as outdoor shows
at qaitbay castle in alexandria and in upper egypt. “i believe
those who can’t afford even to pay for the former cheap tickets
deserve a chance to watch and listen to elevated arts and music
for free,” farag said.
celebrated musician omar khairat himself recently pointed out the
need for maintaining the availability of live music to all. “for
me, playing music for the public is a national mission. it’s
a means through which the egyptian people are exposed to sophisticated
art,” he said. “young people have the right to watch and
listen to the arts.”
while it’s difficult to imagine a culture minister disagreeing
with this premise, the funding cuts have come at a time when the
government has been deeply torn on several items of this year’s
state budget, already the biggest in national history.
nevertheless, in the eyes of many critics, cutbacks on the performing
arts – for which egypt is renowned in the arab world –
could jeopardize the country’s reputation as the region’s
cultural and artistic leader.
marwa a. al-a’sar
top
libya picks up israel’s former stake in midor
[“oil ministry changes export strategy,” may 2003]
the national bank of egypt (nbe) in june sold its 39-percent stake
in the middle east oil refinery (midor) to a group representing
the libyan government for $430 million. the purchase represents
a further strengthening of cooperation between the egyptian and
libyan oil and gas industries and follows an agreement between the
two states to set up a twin pipeline to transport libyan crude into
egypt and egyptian gas into libya. significantly, the purchase appears
to put an end to any hopes israel had entertained for renewing its
investment in the $1.3 billion refinery.
originally built as a joint project between the israeli merhav group
and egyptian investors, the refinery was meant to process gulf crude
and export finished petroleum products to israel and other mediterranean
markets. but what had been the biggest-ever joint venture between
israel and an arab country – and touted as the beginning of
a new era in egypt-israel relations – came to an abrupt end
in may 2001, only two months after production began.
in angry reaction to tel aviv’s harsh response to the outbreak
of the second intifada, the nbe insisted on buying out the merhav
group’s 23-percent stake in the project (raising its own share
to 39 percent) for $150 million – significantly more than the
estimated $60-70 million the israelis had put into the refinery.
the nbe purchase made the concern wholly egyptian owned. it also
saw midor redirect its production – some 100,000 barrels of
crude daily – into the local market, rather than towards export
markets.
from the moment it purchased merhav’s stake, however, the nbe
made no secret of its willingness to resell it to other interested
parties, including groups from saudi arabia, kuwait and qatar.
but next-door neighbor libya was always considered the most likely
to come on board. as long ago as may of last year, mubarak al shamekh,
the libyan secretary of the general people’s committee –
the qaddafi regime’s answer to a prime minister – expressed
certainty that his country would be involved. “as for midor,
libya has taken the decision to participate in the refinery,”
he said, adding that the scope and conditions of participation had
yet to be announced.
now that the deal has gone through, though, precise details remain
unclear. when queried on how the recent libyan purchase will affect
the refinery, midor officials, along with the petroleum ministry,
declined to comment. most importantly, it remains to be seen whether
the refinery will continue to produce strictly for domestic demand,
or whether libyan involvement will put exports back on the agenda.
while the size of the libyan acquisition was significant, the controlling
stake in midor remains with the state-owned egyptian general petroleum
corporation (egpc), which owns 40 percent directly, and a further
20 percent indirectly, through its subsidiaries, petrojet and ennpi.
geoff king
top
tahrir square’s subterranean garage opens
[“new meters, garages to provide more parking space,”
may 2003]
as part of the cairo governorate’s ongoing effort to ease
the capital’s traffic jams, an underground garage designed
to serve the densely packed tahrir square was opened on july 8.
prime minister atef ebeid, who attended the inauguration along with
cairo governor abdel rehim shehata, said that £e 1.2 billion
in investment had been dedicated to building garages – on a
build-operate-transfer (bot) basis – throughout cairo. the
governor, for his part, pointed out that, “the government contributed
£e 60 million to this multi-story garage, which we expect
will solve the parking problem in heavily congested tahrir square.”
inadequate parking space is cited as a key barrier to tackling urban
egypt’s extreme traffic problem. drivers unable to find spaces
will often double park, obstructing street traffic. regulations
against illegal parking, meanwhile, are notoriously lax.
in the understanding that one garage will hardly be enough to staunch
the traffic in one of cairo’s busiest areas, another underground
garage, to be located opposite the egyptian museum, will be opened
in september. both garages, each of which spans 26,000 square meters,
have the capacity to hold 2,570 cars and 40 buses. and the tahrir
garages represent only two of six new underground garages –
with an overall capacity to hold 40,000 cars – expected to
be opened by the end of 2004. these are scheduled to be built in
abbasiya, gezira, heliopolis and torgoman.
government officials have noted that private sector participation
in the projects is key, and have predicted that the governorate
will reel in over £e 757 million in revenue from the
ventures.
summer said
top
boycotts prompt novel logos, strategies
[“war’s end brings investment, calls to boycott endure,”
june 2003]
multinational firms in egypt have been changing their trademarks
and introducing new products in a drive to maintain their share
of the local market amid the ongoing threat of boycott.
proctor & gamble, for example, recently changed the logo of
its laundry detergent ariel from a hexagonal star – which
resembled the jewish star of david that graces the israeli flag
– to a less contentious four-pointed star. in 2002, a
massive boycott campaign was launched against the detergent because
– along with the star – it shared the same first name
as the unpopular israeli prime minister ariel sharon. sales of the
detergent reportedly plunged by 60 percent.
coca-cola, flagship company of us consumerism, is also working to
ease the current downward pressure on sales. the beverage giant
recently introduced fruitopia – a fruit-flavored drink not
explicitly associated with the coca-cola name – to help compensate
for losses.
meanwhile, the local franchise of us-based chain mcdonald’s
– no less conspicuous a symbol – has done what it can
to ease the clash of civilizations by introducing the mcarabia,
a grilled chicken sandwich stuffed in arabic flatbread.
so-called “community-building investment” – like
dedicating 10 piastres from the sale of every meal to establishing
a children’s cancer hospital – could also be interpreted
as an attempt at damage control.
but mohammed kamal ameen, head of the professional syndicate council’s
boycott committee, was unconvinced that such marketing strategies
would be enough to disrupt the boycott campaign. “those companies
are trying to deceive us with tricks,” ameen insisted. “but
these new products will also be boycotted, even before they get
a piece of the market.”
in july, the doctor’s syndicate organized a conference on boycotts,
where renewed calls were made to refrain from purchasing american,
israeli or british products. the committee further called on non-governmental
organizations and civil society movements to reject us funding,
while asking businesspeople to close their accounts in us and british
banks.
critics of the boycott efforts, meanwhile, have traditionally argued
that most goods being hit by the campaign are locally produced,
and therefore, only local workers and suppliers are hurt. extensive
advertising campaigns emphasizing many of these products’ local
value-added have tried strenuously to drive this point home. representatives
of us and british multinationals, meanwhile, have been notably reluctant
to go on record about the boycott issue. mcdonald’s franchise
holders, for their part, were unavailable for comment.
still, many activists see no alternative to boycotts as a means
of sending a message to the united states that arabs are opposed
to american – or israeli – regional hegemony. “boycotts
are a popular act of resistance,” said nader fergani, the committee’s
fund head. “the international system is unfair to us. it only
serves the interest of the world’s great powers.”
the use of boycotts is hardly unique to the arabs, noted said abdel
rasoul, secretary-general of the arab association for product development
& protection. the israelis, he noted, have boycotted french
restaurants and european cars in opposition to europe’s stance
on the israel-palestine conflict. “our right to use the same
weapon should not be denied,” he said.
still, if the steady stream of multinational acquisitions of egyptian
companies – like kraft’s recent buyout of local family
foods – is any indication, the threat of boycott isn’t
enough to deter the big boys.
khaled moussa al-omrani and lina atallah
top
bulletin to staunch demand for economic indicators
[“egypt makes msci indices,” september 2000]
investors and analysts may soon have access to better and more
timely economic indicators, thanks to a new quarterly bulletin published
by the ministry of planning.
at an april 21 conference, the ministry – along with the center
for public mobilization & statistics (capmas) and the usaid-funded
data access & transmission activity (data) project – inaugurated
a new system to improve the consistency, timeliness, transparency
and distribution of economic data. the system, which will document
and distribute monthly and quarterly economic indicators, may also
allow egypt to meet the data-dissemination standard set by the international
monetary fund (imf).
obtaining comprehensive and consistent data on the egyptian economy
has never been an easy task, with the government’s notorious
inability to distribute accurate data leading many private companies
to do their own research at their own cost.
according to amr el-alfy, assistant manager at the commercial international
brokerage company and an attendee at the conference, “we don’t
have many indicators to tell us about the economy, and for the indicators
we do have, we have more than one source. and more often than not,
these sources don’t have the same data.” el-alfy –
who culls most of his information from the foreign trade ministry,
the central bank of egypt (cbe) and the idsc website (idcs.gov.eg)
– explained that figures were released regularly, but, “by
next year, the figures have been revised. that gives you a lack
of confidence.”
according to data project head frank szumillo, the “reason
for the difference is definitional.” accuracy is often sacrificed,
szumillo explained, “in an attempt to provide data in a timely
way.” the eventual changes, he said, are just corrections.
he added that the information in the new bulletin has always been
available from a variety of government sources, but the notion of
“putting together all this information is new.”
the “real sector indicators” bulletin, which debuted at
the april conference, contains a monthly manufacturing index, a
total production index and numerous quarterly indicators. the sectors
covered are construction, tourism, electricity, oil extraction and
petroleum products, manufacturing and the suez canal. the sources,
meanwhile, are the same old mainstays: the cbe; capmas; the idsc;
and the ministries of foreign trade, planning, petroleum, transportation
and agriculture. data, up to april 2003, is scheduled to be released
at the end of july.
the bulletins will be available on the capmas and ministry of planning
websites, and hard copies can be bought at the capmas store (on
salah salim street, heliopolis).
according to szumillo, egypt is now “very close” to meeting
the imf-sponsored special data dissemination standard (sdds), one
of the requirements of which is “the timely release of data.”
certification, szumillo said, will give foreign investors “a
better feel for the value and reality of the data,” and allow
them to make informed comparisons between egypt and other sdds-certified
countries. significantly, he suggested, countries that meet the
sdds may enjoy a different loan rate from the imf.
the most important issue, of course, is the accuracy of the data
itself, and capmas’ unemployment and inflation figures, for
example, have been widely disputed. according to szumillo, it was
understandable that some questioned the accuracy of capmas’
numbers. “we haven’t been working with capmas on labor
force and economic growth,” he said. “we hope to get to
it in the near future.”
ursula lindsey
top
npo unveils new services
[“chief post officer aims to revamp mail services,” june
2003]
reforms at the national postal authority continue to make headway,
with a host of new services being launched, including door-to-door
pension check delivery and post office-based bank accounts.
egyptian national post organization (npo) chairman ali moselhi,
speaking at a june 26 press conference, said he was determined to
revamp the image of the century-old organization, dogged by a reputation
for unreliability and inefficiency.
according to moselhi, new community services are seen as the lynchpin
of reform. forty new vehicles, he explained, have just been ordered
to facilitate the delivery of pension checks to recipients’
households across egypt, and a successful pilot delivery project
was recently conducted in giza, east cairo and minya.
previously, pensioners had to endure cumbersome paperwork procedures
at their local post office to receive their payments, which often
involved bribing employees in order to expedite the process. now,
however, checks are delivered straight to pensioners’ doorsteps,
for a small delivery fee. these fees – deducted directly
from the pension payment – range from zero for those receiving
less than £e 100 per month, £e 0.75 for those earning
between £e 100 and £e 175, and 0.5 percent of the total
for those making £e 200 or more (with a maximum deduction
of £e 3). the money thus collected, moselhi said, will go
towards financing future services.
the chief post officer also noted that the npo is looking to establish
partnerships with private banks, whereby post offices in the governorates
would act as agents for banks without local branches. currently,
the most popular means of saving countrywide is via accounts at
local post offices, which service some 10 million customers. “we
have offices everywhere, we have distributors and we have cars.
we can make life easier for both the banks and their clients,”
moselhi said.
some, however, have complained that the mandatory new delivery system
is in violation of the constitution, as the postal authority doesn’t
have the right to unilaterally impose new charges.
vice president of egyptian american bank amr mostafa said the npo
could play a major role in the expansion of the local banking sector.
“it’s a perfect solution, especially for remote areas
where we don’t have branches,” he said. mostafa added,
however, that automated infrastructure must be developed to connect
banks with post offices. the npo is already in talks with citibank,
commercial international bank and hsbc about potential partnerships.
the postal authority is also hoping to provide new job-market entrants
– who normally keep their earnings at home – with
interest-bearing accounts. “this will become like a hassala
[piggy bank] for young people who are new to the job market,”
he said.
of course, all these new initiatives demand funding. but moselhi
is confident that the npo – which posted £e 46 million
in earnings last year – will be able to pay for its reform
drive. “we have the money and we will raise more through partnerships
with both the private and the public sector,” he said.
lina atallah
top
rural apprenticeship program gets mixed reviews
[“oh, the humanity,” february 2003]
labor-intensive industries vary from one governorate to the next,
so human resource development must be tailored to particular locales,
if demand for labor is to be met and unemployment tackled. a new
training program – aiming to do exactly that – was the
focus of a two-day workshop sponsored by the international labor
organization (ilo) and the ministry of manpower & migration
in june.
the “continuous apprenticeship program,” a three-year
training scheme launched in three cities so far, aims to ensure
that a stream of skilled and semi-skilled young workers will always
be available to support the nation’s industry. the program
provides both hands-on apprenticeship experience and theoretical
training in skills like computer literacy, occupational health and
communication.
in the fall of 2002, in the cities of beni suef, gharbiya and fayyoum,
some ninety 14- to 18-year-olds were placed in skilled and semi-skilled
apprenticeships in sectors representing the industrial backbones
of their respective cities: carpentry in fayyoum, textiles in gharbiya
and mechanics and metalwork in beni suef.
these three governorates are associated with some of the most dire
economic and social indicators in the country. poverty rates in
beni suef and fayyoum, for example, have reached 51.2 percent and
35.4 percent, while illiteracy rates for the two cities are at 49.7
percent and 42.3 percent, respectively, according to an ilo report
published in 2002.
ilo hr development specialist abdelaziz boutaleb envisions the program
eventually applied nationwide, via a network of volunteer employers.
“human resources development and training are critical issues
that demand a new commitment by social partners to the development
of skills for young job seekers,” boutaleb said.
most employers, though, have little experience training apprentices,
and often see trainees as little more than free labor. “sometimes
employers don’t care about training apprentices,” said
beni suef governor said el naggar. “it’s important to
keep a close watch on the employer.” according to the manpower
ministry’s undersecretary for training, mohamed abdul salam
al husseini, many employers refuse to pay the trainee a nominal
stipend, which threatens the project’s success by “de-motivating”
potential apprentices.
many employers, meanwhile, said the responsibility for both training
and paying apprentices is difficult in the current economic climate,
arguing that it is the trainee that’s getting something for
nothing. “my trainees get more benefits than i do,” said
a car-repair workshop owner in beni suef, who is currently hosting
young novices. “i pass on to them my professional expertise,
which is much more valuable than the theories they learn at school.”
some attendees at the june workshop suggested that incentives –
like funding or tax breaks – should be used to entice employers
to participate.
trainees themselves, meanwhile, offered mixed reviews of their experiences.
fifteen-year-old mohamed ramadan, for one, is happy to have acquired
the skills involved in auto repair. but he admitted a desire for
conventional knowledge as well – even though such skills might
not guarantee him a job in the future. “i am learning,”
he said, “but i also want to read and write like other young
people my age.”
lina atallah
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grand museum design selected
[“proposal diverts govt. building away from capital,”
july 2003]
only a few months after its 100th anniversary, the egyptian museum
has been officially relegated to the “where-are-they-now?”
file. just as the american university in cairo (auc) is preparing
to shift most of its activities to a new suburban campus, the country’s
premier antiquities collection will also be moved out of the congested
tahrir square, to a spacious 50-hectare site on the fayyoum road,
just beyond the giza pyramids.
on june 9, mrs. suzanne mubarak and minister of culture farouk
hosni announced the winner of an international design competition
for the grand egyptian museum, a $350 million project to be carried
out over a still-unspecified period within the next several years.
dublin-based firm heneghan-peng architects beat out other finalists
from italy and austria with a multi-building complex that will conform
to the lanscape and mirror the nearby pyramids.
the plan is driven mainly by a shortage of space – both inside
the old museum as well as on the streets around it. the new museum
will house 150,000 artifacts, around 10 times the capacity of the
old one.
museum officials admit that security considerations were also a
factor in the decision to move. security around the egyptian museum
has been tight ever since the september 1997 attack by a rogue militant
in which nine german tourists and their egyptian bus driver were
killed.
but extra security measures have compounded the traffic congestion
in the city’s center. the grand museum, on the other hand,
far away from everyday traffic, will be easier to seal off from
potential threats.
the move will effectively create an ancient egypt-themed tourist
hub between the giza plateau and dahshour, with islamic and coptic
cairo as secondary centers, easily reachable by the ring road.
the world bank and un agencies have promised initial funding for
the relocation, and the government hopes to raise the rest of the
cost from other international donors. according to amr badr, managing
director of tourism firm abercrombie & kent egypt, this makes
the grand museum project a relatively low-risk proposition.
what will become of the old museum is not entirely clear. the culture
minister, while saying the egyptian museum would remain open, cited
the renowned treasures of tutankhamun as one of the attractions
to be moved to the new site. a curator at the egyptian museum, however,
said this ”would not necessarily happen,” adding that
several issues were still under discussion.
neil macdonald
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