Local Development Minister Manal Awad said Egypt seeks to expand the establishment of smart cities, as evidenced by implementing digital transformation in some governorates and building technological centers in each governorate. The minister added the Egyptian government works to develop localities and bridge the gap between new and existing cities in rural and urban areas, via the "Decent Life" initiative. Awad spoke about a project to develop Upper Egypt, which aims to close the gap between Upper Egypt cities and Greater Cairo cities. She highlighted that her talks with UNIDO officials focused on upgrading industrial clusters in the governorates of Assiut, Qena, Sohag and Minya. The minister stated that she discussed with UNIDO officials the possibility of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises as well as empowering women in the Upper Egypt. Source: State Information Service Egypt