The President of the Republic of Egypt Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, announced the creation of the first example of, and plans to manufacture the first domestically produced electric car, with plans to begin production by 2023.
This announcement was made while in attendance at the 4th World Youth Forum, which is the largest Youth Forum in the world and takes place every year in Sharm El Sheikh.
A session titled ‘From Glasgow to Sharm El-Sheikh: Combating Climate Change’ was one of the main panel discussions held on the second day of the World Youth Forum (WYF).
During the session, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi welcomed and thanked the speakers for the ideas they presented for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), which Egypt will host this year. The president said that human beings are the only creatures on earth capable of reform as well as destruction, which he described as a very dangerous matter. However, this danger can be combated. The president also expressed his confidence in the world’s ability to confront climate change over the next few years.
President El-Sisi said that the expected increase in the number of cars over the next few years is alarming. The solution to this problem is replacing gasoline-powered cars with ones that operate on electricity or natural gas, an initiative that Egypt started taking five years ago when it launched a campaign to replace traditional cars with electric ones. Moreover, Egypt will for the first time locally manufacture a car to operate on electricity in 2023. Even though the manufacturing costs will be high, the private sector can seize this opportunity and contribute to reducing the impact of climate change.
In the same context, the president alluded to the issue of lakes undergoing a complete process of development and purification to transform them into an economic force. He touched on the Decent Life Initiative, and noted that the Egyptian state has allocated more than EGP 80 billion to lining and rehabilitating canals. The state also seeks to follow up on the situation of iron and cement plants and projects to reduce emissions. It is also paying special attention to developing the network of roads and bridges to generate jobs.
The president concluded his speech by saying that the emissions produced by Egypt are negligible; however, the Egyptian state is aware of the danger of this issue on a global scale. He noted that it is essential for young people, media professionals, politicians, and the private sector to be part of the process of reconstructing the Earth.
The World Youth Forum
The World Youth Forum (WYF) is an annual event that takes place in the City of Sharm El-Sheikh in South Sinai, under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
Three incarnations of WYF were launched over the three years 2017, 2018, and 2019. WYF aims to bring together young people from across the world, enabling them to engage in discussions on development issues, and send a message of peace from Egypt to the world. The UN Committee on Social Development has adopted WYF, with its past three sessions, as an international platform to discuss youth issues and causes.
