Refugee island plan
EGYPTIAN billionaire Naguib Sawiris, pictured, on Monday announced that he welcomed volunteers and their contributions for an island shelter he was proposing to create to house refugees.
The tycoon made headlines around the globe last week when he proposed on Twitter to buy an island from Greece or Italy in order to shelter migrants fleeing Syria and other countries, Al Ahram news reported.
“Everyone who proposed to volunteer or help in creating #aylan ISLAND please e-mail your proposed contribution to proposals@otmt.com,” Sawiris tweeted on Monday.
Sawiris named the proposed island “Aylan” after the 3-year-old Syrian toddler, Aylan Kurdi, who drowned in the sea off Turkey last week while his family were attempting to reach Europe.
According to Sawiris, the island would host refugees until resolutions were reached in their home countries. Confirming that his offer was serious, Sawiris said that he would address the prime ministers of Italy and Greece.
In 2014, Naguib Sawiris was listed as the third wealthiest man in Egypt, with a fortune of $2.8 billion (about R40 billion), up from $2.5 billion in 2013. He is the 609th richest person in the world and the 11th richest in Africa. – IANS