“There are some 1000 rural villages in Egypt inhabited by a total of 12 million people, half of whom live below the poverty line,” Local Development Minister Mohamed Abdel Salam Mahgoub said at a symposium on Thursday.
The minister was basing his statement on official United Nations statistics.
“We're currently renovating antiquated houses in these villages and we plan to improve local infrastructure,” Mahgoub said, referring to a long-term development plan adopted by his ministry.
He went on to warn of the dangers of Egypt's soaring population rate.
“The national population will reach 140 million in only a few years if we continue like this,” he said.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
