Cairo- Egypt has started a government development process with the participation of the United Nations, in the historic threshold market in the heart of Cairo, and near the historical tourist attractions such as Khan Al -Khalili and Al -Hussein neighborhood.
This comes amid several considerations, including the importance of developing historical areas on the one hand, the economic and tourism returns for development on the other hand, and the rights of street vendors and the effects of development on the third.
According to a recent study prepared by the Eastern Chamber of Commerce -published in the local press – The number of street vendors, who are a major part of the informal economy, ranges between 5 and 7 million selves, and the volume of their trade reached 80 billion pounds (1.58 billion dollars) against the background of their spread with many random markets, most notably in the center of the capital, which witnessed the scenes of CR and the local authorities seeking development, in the doorstep and the center of the country.
While there are no official statistics on street vendors, the Egyptian law set their framework, and stipulated that the penalties are expensive for their violations that reach 3 months imprisonment or a fine of one thousand pounds (20 dollars).
The importance of development
The Minister of Local Development, Manal Awad, announced the start of the implementation of the first phase of the development of the threshold market with the beginnings of the month of Ramadan, according to the model that was adopted and presented to the representatives of the street vendors and the owners of the shops with meetings hosted by the ministry during the past months in the presence of Cairo Governor Ibrahim Saber, and the participation of representatives of the UN program for human settlements “Habitat” according to an official statement.
A local official revealed previous media statements earlier that the number of street vendors – in the central Cairo areas, which includes the threshold – exceeds 13 thousand selves, stressing that the capital has the largest number of street vendors.
According to the ministry, one of the most prominent features of development is the implementation of 473 tables for street vendors instead of random brushes, painting real estate facades with a distinctive architectural style to maintain visual identity, provide safe traffic corridors, improve infrastructure, and apply safety and security standards. She emphasized that what is happening is “a new step towards organizing markets and achieving a balance between the requirements of sellers and the rights of shop owners, for a civilized environment worthy of the position of the historical threshold.”
Merging street vendors
Observers emphasize the importance of developing the historical Cairo markets, and the impact of this on the economy and tourism, but they stress the rights of street vendors and the need to integrate them into the official economy.
Adel Amer, an economist, head of the Egyptian Center for Economic and Political Studies – for Al Jazeera Net – explains that the urban planning plan for the historic Cairo heart starts from developing markets in the center of the capital (Al -Ataba regions, Ramses, Ghambra and Ambulance) and organizing them in a civilized way to end the work of random occupations and markets, and reconcile the conditions of street vendors away from security solutions according to the instructions of political leadership.
According to official figures, the volume of the informal and invisible economy in Egypt constitutes 30% of the gross domestic product, while employing nearly half of the workforce.
Amer adds that the street vendors are part of the informal economy, and it is important to integrate them into the official economy for the state’s benefit and benefit from them are those who reconcile their conditions, stressing the need to establish civilized markets that provide them with safe job opportunities under the supervision of the state.
Preserving the street vendors
In turn, Mohamed Abdel -Qader, former Secretary -General of the Independent Syndicate of Unregulated Employment, confirms – in his interview with Al -Jazeera Net – that with development, on the condition of preserving the rights of the giving labor and legalizing its conditions in the official economy of the state, indicating that he submitted to the Minister of Labor Mohamed Gibran with a project to integrate street vendors and irregular labor in the informal economic sector, and it is expected to pass it in the draft law currently discussed by the House of Representatives.
Abdel -Qader stresses that the Ministry of Labor must limit the guest workers at the national level, and to accommodate and provide their job opportunities, provided that the beginning is from the threshold markets, and that the ministry bears a share in the development costs of the emergency fund.
Features of development
For his part, Atef Amin, an expert on sustainable development and head of the Egyptian coalition for the development of slums, explains that Al -Ataba Square is considered one of the most important heritage places and that its development enhances the success of the Cairo Khedive project (built by the sons of Muhammad Ali) and the region’s return to its unique historical elegance.
Amin believes – in an interview with Al -Jazeera Net – that development will contribute to providing new job opportunities after organizing the presence of street vendors, facilitating access to existing shops and providing pathways for emergency cars and preventing random delivery of the electric current, and facing fires that are repeated from time to time in the region, stressing that Egypt is scheduled to end in 2030 from random markets and unrelated areas at a cost of 318 billion pounds (6.29 billion dollars).
One of the street vendors – Al Jazeera Net – expressed his reservation on the current development dates, and the decision to evacuate a number of internal commercial streets and transfer the sellers working from them to the garage of the government threshold temporarily and not specified in the glory of the commercial season.
For his part, the young seller, Abdullah Mahmoud – who is one of the street vendors – insists on staying in the place of his work despite the start of drilling operations in the neighborhood to preserve his customers.
He says – in an interview with Al -Jazeera Net – that he does not oppose development and that he will take a new table to sell its products according to the government project instead of the current “mattress”, but he hoped to start development after Eid Al -Fitr because he might lose his clients in the peak season in Ramadan.
While the Governor of Cairo confirmed that the vendors will be returned to the market after the end of the development work, the Minister of Local Development directed the speedy completion of the development work according to the ministry’s model.
For his part, Mohamed Abd Rabbo, Assistant Secretary -General of the Workers Union, head of the General Syndicate of Trade Workers – to Al Jazeera Net – said that it is estimated that the development came in the Ezz of the season, “But with a little patience, sellers will reap the development gains that we often demanded to legalize their conditions and provide safety and security factors instead of repeating fires and pursuing the police to them,” adding that legalizing the situation comes by handing over They are ready for it.
