Symposium I

The Egyptian Renaissance (2030): 

Miracle or Myth?Thanks to high fertility rates and low mortality rates, the Egyptian

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(C) 2015 Geo Publishing, Toronto Canada

Fayez Elessawy 46

population is expected to reach 115?million by 2030, representing an

annual increase of 1.25?Egypt unfortunately still suffers

from high illiteracy rates relative to other countries: approximately

15?million people (two-thirds of them women and girls) are considered

illiterate, particularly in rural and poor areas in the south, and the high

rate of illiteracy is connected with the increasing terrorist activities in

these areas, as terrorist organizations tend to recruit the illiterate and the

poor.In 2030 and beyond, we can expect that increases in the education

budget, development of the educational system, reduced class sizes, and

the use of modern technology in schools, as well as a focus on educating

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The Egyptian Renaissance (2030) 47

girls, will significantly reduce poverty and illiteracy.Fayez Elessawy

Geography and Urban Planning Department, College of Humanities &

Social Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, 

P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain, U.A.E.

Studying the Egyptian population is an integral part of analyzing Egypt's

2030 development vision.In this new spirit of change, President Abdel Fattah Elsisi declared in

2015 that Egypt will foster a suitable environment for foreign investors by

creating new regulations untouched by and corruption.