The Egyptian government announced on Aug. 28 a massive budget worth 275 billion Egyptian pounds ($15.4 billion) to carry out developmental projects in the Sinai Peninsula until 2022, as part of efforts aimed at fighting an Islamist insurgency in that unstable part of the country and improving living standards for its residents.
In the government announcement, Minister of Planning Hala el-Saeed said that the Egyptian government is planning to establish fish farms spanning an area of 15,590 feddans (16,179 acres) in the Suez Canal area, construct a natural lake and an industrial zone in Port Said, and build about 10 roads at a total length of 1,339 kilometers (8332 miles) in the Sinai Peninsula.