by: Mr. Taha Sakr / Daily News Egypt (dated: Wednesday, March 1st, 2023)

Aswan – German Ambassador to Cairo Frank Hartmann has said that relations between Egypt and Germany are vital in a number of fields, including development, women’s empowerment, agriculture, and energy.

It comes during his inspection of the second phase of a programme to rehabilitate power stations at the High Dam.

The ambassador said, in press statements, that Germany is very active in the field of energy. In addition, he noted that work is currently underway on a project to rehabilitate turbines and electric generators at the High Dam.

Due to the fact that the current generators have existed since 1960, €41m has been allocated by the German Reconstruction Bank for the construction of the rehabilitation project, according to Frank Hartmann.

The amount mentioned above has been allocated along with an amount of 2 million from the Egyptian government, i.e. €43m in total. It is expected that the renovations will be completed in 2028, meaning that it may take 5 years.

In addition to the energy file, the ambassador also inspected the Benban solar power generation station, which is the largest solar energy generation station in Africa. The ambassador said that a number of German companies contributed to this project. Therefore, it is imperative for the German government to increase the proportion of energy production from renewable sources.

Ambassador Hartmann added that about €285m has also been allocated within the framework of the „NWFI“ programme, to produce energy from green hydrogen.

Ambassador Frank Hartmann confirmed during his inspection tour the development projects funded by the German government through the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) in the governorate.

Hartmann indicated that these projects are consistent with the goals of the „Decent Life“ project launched by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, which enjoys the support of German development cooperation.

He added that the projects funded by the Umm Habiba Charitable Foundation in the village of West Suhail play an important role in empowering women economically and training them in projects that enable them to be self-sufficient and provide for families, benefiting 20,000 citizens.

The German ambassador stated that this area was visited by President Al-Sisi after it was damaged by torrential rains, and he issued directives to rebuild it and help those affected.

The Umm Habiba Foundation affiliated with the Aga Khan Development Network is an Egyptian non-governmental organization that supports the youth of Aswan on the social and civil levels.