It was all hands on deck at yesterday’s cabinet meeting, where ministers approved a raft of bills, according to a statement. They included:

#1- The River Transport Authority (RTA) could be granted more power: Ministers approved a draft law that would put the authority in charge of all things inland navigation — and draw up a development plan for the nation’s rivers. The RTA would be newly charged with issuing navigation licenses for boats, and take over from the Irrigation Ministry to issue licenses for the establishment, operation and management of ports and docks.

#2- Cabinet approved a draft presidential decision to finance part of a USD 270 mn agricultural development project for Upper Egypt, in cooperation with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The Sustainable Transformation for Agricultural Resilience (STAR) program will develop irrigation infrastructure and offer support to small-scale farmers in Minya, Assiut, and Sohag governorates. The government is set to contribute some USD 15.5 mn to STAR, according to IFAD, which will contribute USD 64.5 mn. The African Development Bank is stumping up the biggest portion of funding at USD 90 mn.

#3- Supreme Tourism Council restructured: The cabinet greenlit a new structure for the country’s main tourism governing body, which will be headed by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, with the prime minister, the central bank governor, and several cabinet ministers and other officials joining as members. They will be tasked with adopting a general strategy for the tourism industry and developing solutions for challenges that could obstruct the sector’s growth.

#4- Funding for COP 27 green buses: The cabinet agreed to allocate funding to contract with companies who will provide green buses for participants at November’s COP 27 climate summit in Sharm El Sheikh. The plan is to provide 180 electric buses and the charging infrastructure to run them, as well as 180 natgas-powered buses. All cars and buses in Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada will be converted to run on natural gas or swapped for EVs by the time COP 27 kicks off, the cabinet said previously.

#5- New leather project underway: The cabinet also approved a request by the General Authority for Freezones and Investment (GAFI) to establish a new leather company in Robeki leather city, which is expected to create 1.1k jobs.