President Abdel Fattah El Sisi touched on the economy and social issues at the third National Youth Conference, which kicked off in Ismailia yesterday. El Sisi reaffirmed the importance of the government’s “difficult but necessary” economic reform program. He said that the state is working on creating more job opportunities to improve unemployment rates and cut down on the bloated public sector, which he said requires 20% of its current staff level at most. The president also discussed the country’s mines and quarries, which he said could bring in as much as EGP 17 bn of revenues for the state. According to El Sisi, the state has not been able to bring in EGP 1 bn, which highlights to reform the industry (watch, runtime 3:16). He also announced that the Damietta Furniture City, which will be host to some 1,000 workshops, will be inaugurated “within days” (watch, runtime 1:54).

El Sisi also vowed to respect the outcome of next year’s presidential election, and called on Egyptians to participate in the voting process to ensure their voices are heard. He also apologized to Sinai locals for the persistent security issues in the peninsula, and criticized the media for its portrayal of the situation. El Sisi also announced that 2018 will be the year for individuals with special needs. You can watch the full conference here (runtime 2:15:54).