Dr. Sayed Ismail, Deputy Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities for Infrastructure Affairs, representing the Ministry of Housing, participated in a workshop organized by the European Union Delegation to Egypt, to discuss the actual needs and priorities of the ministries in terms of capacity-building and technical support for the Egyptian ministries and agencies, in a way that contributes to developing the skills of human cadres. All parties in the sectors of water resources management, sanitation and irrigation through specialized training programs in many important areas related to contracting, project management, negotiation and other disciplines that will have a role in raising the efficiency of workers in national projects and contribute to maximizing the impact and achieving maximum benefit from the programs, in Framework for dialogue between Egypt and the European Union on the priorities of technical support and capacity building in the water sector.
Dr. Sayed Ismail began his speech by thanking the attendees from all ministries as well as the Secretary General of the Egyptian Chambers of Commerce, explaining the importance of building the capabilities of workers in the utilities sector and the main axes followed by the Ministry of Housing in this regard, including: expanding the umbrella of capacity building to include all agencies affiliated with the Ministry of Housing, and benefiting from All the expertise and capabilities available to development partners to provide the necessary support to build the capacities of workers, as well as the establishment of a protocol with universities and scientific institutes such as the American University, where more than 300 trainees were trained in training courses specially prepared for workers in the drinking water and wastewater sector such as project management, contract management, and evaluation And follow-up and community participation, and communication with the relevant ministries to hold joint training programs to qualify workers on digitization, such as the “Integrated Professional Program for Digital Management of Projects” through the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology for institutional development, and holding specialized training courses in various fields (operation and maintenance – rationalization of consumption – safety and health professional – community work) in about 35 training centers affiliated with drinking water and sanitation companies in various governorates, and the establishment of specialized technical schools in the field of drinking water and sanitation in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, as the number of graduates reached about 3,400 graduates.
The Deputy Minister of Housing for Infrastructure Affairs stressed that interest in building the capabilities of workers is the only guarantor for the continuity of preserving assets, the importance of cooperation between all parties concerned with drinking water and sanitation services, and continuing communication in order to achieve sustainability of services, maximize the use of available resources, and develop the performance of workers in the drinking water and sanitation sector in various fields.
Dr. Sayed Ismail pointed out that the drinking water and wastewater facilities sector follows the idea of managing solutions, not managing problems, and that coordination between ministries is clearly evident in setting the general plan for the desalination strategy until 2050, as well as in the project to improve water quality in the Kitchener Bank… where he participates in its preparation. Many ministries and concerned authorities.
During the workshop, representatives of the Ministry of International Cooperation gave an introductory overview of the twinning mechanisms, technical cooperation and information exchange – TAIEX, which are being implemented within the framework of the current cooperation with the European Union. The expertise of public sector institutions between the Egyptian authorities and the corresponding parties of European institutions. The TAIEX mechanism also works to provide technical support in all its forms, including sending experts, organizing workshops and training programs.
In the same context, the European Union consultants presented a draft of the training plans, and it was agreed that interviews and meetings would be held in each ministry separately to determine the training needs of its employees, and then coordinate with the European Union on a comprehensive training plan to be agreed upon.
In a related context, Dr. Sayed Ismail stressed that one of the ministries’ priorities is to pay attention to the human element and raise its technical and administrative competence, as it is the most important element in driving the development locomotive to ensure the implementation of the tasks entrusted to them with the aim of improving services to the public and preserving facilities and resources. It is very important to take advantage of the resources available in each of them, praising the support of the European Union, which is keen to organize meetings for a group of all concerned parties and to provide the required technical support to build the capabilities of workers.
It is worth noting that representatives of the Ministries of Local Development, Water Resources and Irrigation, Agriculture and Land Reclamation, International Cooperation, and the General Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce participated in the European Union workshop. The workshop witnessed a discussion among the participants to identify needs and develop an action plan within which a number of Specialized training programs in line with the needs and priorities of each entity.