Housing Minister Mostafa Madboly met on Sunday with his newly-appointed Deputy for Urban Development and Slums Ahmed Adel Darwish.

The meeting discussed a mid-term plan to develop 248 slum areas across Egypt by 2018, Madboly said in a statement.

"This plan will cost about 10 billion pounds," he added, adding that an agreement was reached with Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation Sahar Nasr to offer one-billion-dollar loans and grants in three years.

Madboly ordered Darwish to follow up workgroups of the Slum Development Fund in all governorates.

He revealed that a deal will be signed with the Ministry of Higher Education to assign universities to outline plans to develop slum areas, instead of consultancy offices, to finalize this development plan as soon as possible.

Source: MENA