Investment and Digital Platforms Development Consultant

Result of Service

The ultimate result of the consultancy is to develop a digital investment portal and private sector partnership mechanisms to promote local economic growth in Dahab City.

Work Location

Cairo, Egypt

Expected duration

6 months

Duties and Responsibilities

UN Habitat is the United Nations Agency for Human Settlements mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote social and environmentally sustainable towns and cities and to foster collaboration between urban actors. Its aim is to create inclusive, resilient, and equitable urban spaces with the mission to improve the living conditions of people in urban areas to achieve sustainable development. Urbanization is a key driver of development, and cities are seen to be on the frontline of many of the global challenges the world is currently facing. In Egypt, 75% of the GDP is generated in urban areas and 80% of the jobs are in existing cities. However, unplanned urbanization and rapid encroachment the valuable agricultural and desert land surrounding cities and rural settlements result in rapid growth of informal, unplanned urban expansion. Over 16 million urban inhabitants live today in informal and unplanned settlements around urban areas. Moreover, urban population in Egypt is not evenly distributed among its cities, 96 percent of total population lives on 4 percent of the total national area, while the remaining percentage spread on 96 percent of the total inhibited area. This led to more imbalances where 68 percent of the total population are living in three regions, Greater Cairo Region, Alexandria and Delta; representing 1.8 percent of Egypt’s total area, while 77 cities comprise 4 percent of the urban population. Urban planning and management plays an important role in ensuring urbanization values are optimized, captured, and fairly distributed among urban and rural populations. In Egypt, efforts to improve urban planning and management practices varies largely in their nature and effectiveness. The Ministry of Housing, Utilities and urban communities plays an effective role in guiding policies and programmes to improve urban development tools and programmes. In 2024, the UN-Habitat and the Ministry of Local Development (MOLD) signed a new project titled Identification of Priority Urban Development Interventions to Promote Investments, Smart Applications and Livable Dahab City. The project is Funded by the Islamic Development Bank and aims to inclusively improve the livelihood and living conditions for the population of Dahab city through identifying, prioritizing and advancing urban and social development interventions and improving urban governance. The primary purpose of this assignment is to understand the nature of the available resources in the governorate and transform them into attractive, market-ready investment opportunities. Additionally, it focuses on developing innovative strategies to maximize the utilizati...