The UAE received special attention in the lead-up to Egypt’s economic conference held last month in the north coast town of Marsa Matrouh.
"Matrouh: the Future of Investment" was a governorate-level event based on the Egyptian Economic Development Conference (EEDC) led by the president Abdel Fattah El Sisi in March.
The event offered investment opportunities in multibillion-dollar projects in property, industry, agriculture, resource extraction and construction of a north coast trading port.
And as in the March economic summit – organised by a joint Egyptian-Emirati task force – the UAE played a central role on stage and behind the scenes.
According to Major General Alaa Abu Zeid, the governor of the Matrouh province, the conference was the culmination of a six-month promotion campaign that included two visits to the UAE.
This month, Mr Abu Zeid was sent by Egypt’s prime minister, Sherif Ismail, on an investment mission to showcase the Matrouh governorate’s investment opportunities to members of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, returning with US$12 billion in investment pledges.
Central among them, alongside pricey plans for luxury tourist resorts, is construction of the Matrouh Port, which would serve the dual purpose of promoting tourism and international trade.
According to Mr Abu Zeid, Saudi and Emirati firms have signed initial pledges to lead the port construction, which he estimated will cost a hefty $10bn.
Mohammed Sherif, a manager of investments in the Matrouh governorate, says the port would play a significant role in supporting the proposed Matrouh development spree, easing industrial and agricultural trade and welcoming foreign tourists.
But while plans for coastal developments dominated, the hinterlands of Matrouh, Egypt’s second-largest governorate in terms of land mass, also received some attention.
Additional investment pledges back from Mr Abu Zeid’s UAE visit included those for industrial projects estimated at $5bn in water bottling, olive oil production and the exploitation of salt ponds in the Siwa Oasis.
Also on the drawing board are what the Matrouh governor described as “the largest fish farm in the Middle East” and recreational developments such as a zoo featuring desert animals.
If the plans for the desert-dominated governorate sound ambitious, they should.
According to the governor, the economic conference “announces Matrouh’s initiation into the era of Egypt’s mega national projects”.
Indeed, the conference plays into plans for the Northwest Coast Development Project, one of the handful of mega national endeavours championed by Mr El Sisi’s administration.
And as with most of Mr El Sisi’s grand plans, Emirati influence can be expected to keep pace economically and aesthetically.
Asked what he would like to see from Matrouh, Mr Abu Zeid responds without hesitation: Dubai.
“I seek inspiration from Dubai … Give me the funding and I will turn [Matrouh] into Dubai tomorrow.”
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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SPECS
Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 306hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
if you go
The flights
Flydubai flies to Podgorica or nearby Tivat via Sarajevo from Dh2,155 return including taxes. Turkish Airlines flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Podgorica via Istanbul; alternatively, fly with Flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade and take a short flight with Montenegro Air to Podgorica. Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade. Flights cost from about Dh3,000 return including taxes. There are buses from Podgorica to Plav.
The tour
While you can apply for a permit for the route yourself, it’s best to travel with an agency that will arrange it for you. These include Zbulo in Albania (www.zbulo.org) or Zalaz in Montenegro (www.zalaz.me).
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Company%20Profile
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