The Egyptian Official Gazette published, in its issue #52 (A) on December 30, 2024, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s ratification of Decree #600 of 2024 to reconstitute the Board of Trustees of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) Authority for a period of three years.
The decree stipulates that the Board of Trustees of the GEM shall be reconstituted for a period of three years, with membership made up of:
- Foreigners:
- Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso
- Vice-Director of the Kyoto National Museum & ICOM DRMC treasurer Yuji Kurihara
- Saudi Prince Sultan bin Salman
- National Security Advisor of the UAE Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan
- The Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization Zurab Pololikashvili
- Egyptians:
- Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy
- Minister of Culture Fouad Hanno
- Minister of Finance Ahmed Kouchouk
- Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Ahmed Zayed
- Archaeologist Zahi Hawass
- Former Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni
- Vice President of the Federation of Egyptian Banks Hisham Okasha
- Chairman of the Mansour Group Mohamed Mansour
- TV Presenter Sherif Amer
- Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna Ghada Fathy Wali
- Egyptologist Khaled Ahmed al-Enany
A Grand Opening
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly held a meeting on Monday to follow up on the progress of development work in the areas surrounding the GEM and preparations for its opening.
The Prime Minister indicated that the official opening date of the GEM will be agreed upon, and various procedures and steps will be implemented for this historic opening of this unique edifice, including preparing invitations for senior officials and reviewing the scenarios for the opening ceremony.
Madbouly noted the importance of having a comprehensive picture of the various development works in preparation for the grand opening of this world-class museum, in a way that reflects the size of the Egyptian state and its civilization.
He affirmed that this meeting aims to prepare a final vision to be presented to Sisi, regarding the proposed opening date and the scenarios for the ceremony.
Renowned archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, also revealed the details about the Egyptian government’s preparations to open the GEM.
In a phone-in interview with journalist Faten Abdel-Mugeeb on the ‘Sala al-Tahrir’ program broadcast on the Sada El Balad channel, Hawass said, “I thank the President for his interest in the GEM.”
Hawass explained that the GEM may be opened during the coming summer, specifically in June or July, calling for the need to set the opening date well in advance of the celebration.
