Egypt Transforms Slums into Affordable Houses in the Capital, Cairo to Provide Decent Housing for Citizens

• Egypt is determined to provide affordable, decent housing for its citizens by transforming slums into residential neighbourhoods
• The country is embarking on a nationwide initiative to reconstruct all its slums into decent living spaces
• Luxury mansions, lakes, and trees are taking the place of sewage-filled seas, crumbling structures, and nests

The government of Egypt is investing $1.58 billion to transform its slums into decent dwelling places for its citizens. The government has earmarked about 351 slums in the country for destruction because they are unsafe to serve as dwelling places.

In that regard, Egypt is relocating about 850,000 people living in slums in and around the capital into tall apartment buildings. The relocation initiative came to life when a building collapsed in Cairo, which killed 130 people living in dilapidated structures.

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In 2016, the president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, promised to relocate those living in slums into new apartments. The project would be completed over three phases and funded with a whopping $1.58 billion.

The first two phases were finished in 11 months and contained 12,000 units. The third phase opened in 2017 and comprises 20,000 apartments. The completed housing project will be made of 100,000 residential units in total.

However, some slum dwellers are not happy about the fact that their old settlements are destroyed and are being forced to relocate.

Living in the new high-rise buildings is not entirely free. Residents are expected to pay a small charge covering maintenance and garbage collection.

The government is improving some homes in informal settlements, but slum inhabitants are still being evacuated from unsafe regions as they wait to be relocated.

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Social Entrepreneur Builds Gated Community in Kumasi for Black Foreigners Who Want to Settle in Ghana

In an earlier article, YEN.com.gh wrote about how a social entrepreneur is building a residential community for black Americans in Kumasi, Ghana. For foreigners planning to settle in Ghana, social entrepreneur L. Nzingha Samuel is constructing a gated residential neighbourhood in Kumasi.

In 2020, at the height of police violence and prejudice against black people in America, she was inspired to settle permanently in Ghana and create a haven for fellow black Americans who intend to stay in Ghana for good.

Source: YEN.com.gh