The American University in Cairo hosted the 2nd Annual Africa Facilities Management Conference which was held in Egypt from November 24 to 26, 2022 – following its pilot edition in Nigeria in 2021. The theme for the second edition of the international meeting of Facilities Management professionals, businesses, and students from the continent was “Accelerating FM Across Africa Towards Sustainable Development.” The theme was in sync with the needs of the built environment as the world works towards net-zero in the backdrop of COP27 held in Egypt’s coastal city of Sharm-el-Shaikh. 

The inaugural Africa FM conference was launched in 2021 in the shadow of the pandemic as many facets of the built environment were thrust into the limelight – from workplace management to professional cleaning and sanitation standards. The objective of the conference was stated to create and build a meeting hub for the Facility Management community of organizations and individuals across borders. According to the visiting dignitaries, Africa FM Conferences enjoys a distinctive continental stance as the only regular meeting point for facilities managers, FM suppliers and other stakeholders of facilities management in Africa to exchange expert views and share experience on the diverse relationship between facilities managers in a cross-cultural context. The platform also makes economic sense as, “the Facility Management market in Africa is estimated to continue to grow at a CAGR of 11.2% and with Africa set to be the most urbanised continent in the world by 2030. There is therefore the need to create systems and structures to support the expanding need for FM and growth in the African market.”

The American University of Cairo was the catalyst and host to the pan-continent gathering as the university has been imparting training and knowledge to students in Facilities Management to get them future ready. The AUC’s campus which has a century-long legacy in Egypt and was re-settled in New Cairo from its Tahrir Square location is a remarkable structure that came about through an international collaboration between Sasaki and Associates of Boston, Massachusetts, and Abdel-Halim Community Design Collaborative of Cairo. 

Yasmine Mahmoud, Sustainability Director at the American University in Cairo explained during the tour of the campus that, “The masterplan was based on the idea of linking physical space with AUC’s liberal arts philosophy, while also reflecting Egypt’s cultural history.” The architecture incorporates AUC Tahrir Square’s iconic arch, the crossed-arch dome of the Great Mosque of Córdoba in Spain, as well as “the Mashrabiya-textured windows and structures, are rooted in traditions from Islamic art and architecture – a vital part of Egyptian cultural and religious history.”

The AUC has taken the spirit of green architecture into its operations by committing to sustainable practices through a variety of measures such as – reduction in energy consumption, transition to clean energy sources, waste management, recycling, and even transportation management through bus services, and carpool initiatives. The AUC has consistently been ranked in the Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges, and was the first university in the region to produce a carbon footprint report.

With so many accolades to its name, AUC brought together a powerful agenda for the Africa FM conference. The Cairo edition of the conference saw representation from across the great continent – from Ghana to Nigeria to Botswana, and South Africa, and many more. Over 30 speakers from as many countries spoke through presentations and panel discussions over two days. Renowned names from the FM industry such as Stan Mitchell, CEO of Key Facilities Management, Thomas Mitchell Jr. of IFMA, David Martinez, Global Director of FM House, Liz Kentish, Co-founder and Managing Director of Kentish & Co, Lisa Shaw of CBRE Accelerate South Africa presented their insights into the evolution of FM practices. Eng. Sherif Maged, Executive Director, Integrated Services, The American University in Cairo and the COO of Africa FM was at hand to acknowledge and drive the agenda through the two days of intense discourse.

The person credited with bringing the Africa FM conference to Egypt is Osama Othman, Co-founder and Chairman of Egyptian Facility Management Association (EGYFMA). CMtoday spoke to him about his initiative, and the vision driving the creation of EGYFMA. 

Q: Can you tell me about the idea and the spirit behind EGYFMA? 

The idea came to me upon my return to Egypt after working for a considerable number of years in the UAE. I was part of MEFMA (Middle East Facility Management Association) when the initially began their work and I saw the work the organisation succeeded in doing. The success of MEFMA inspired me to create a chapter on similar lines for Egypt as well. To bring localisation as well as make it accessible. 

Q: What were the challenges that you faced while setting up EGYFMA?

The initial years were not easy – due to lack of awareness of the FM sector as well as the benefits of having such an organisation. When the American University in Cairo brough in the Facilities Management Professional course, it created a chain of demand, supply of skilled personnel as well as awareness of the need for structure. The market became aware of all the businesses and experts present in the market, and who was truly an expert at FM and so on. This led to organic meetings and networking which helped us officially launch EGYFMA in 2019. The main objective of EGYFMA is to have some standardisation in the country’s FM sector yet at the same time we are missing domestication of the standard. While we have a huge range of international standards, many of them might not work in the local context due to the type of the assets as well the people (owners, tenants) and the culture of the people they serve. All these factors also drove us to push for setting up various committees such as one committee related to standardization and they are already working with the government - Egyptian Organization for Standardization. Through all this work, our continued objective is to increase awareness and get everyone upto speed on global FM standards. 

Q: Why was Egypt chosen for the second edition of Africa FM? 

The first edition of the Africa FM conference was a virtual one but it was widely appreciated and everyone recognised the need to take it further. Even before we had the first conference, my colleagues and I brainstormed to make this gathering in-person and to bring it to Egypt. At the first Africa FM we pitched Egypt as the venue for the second edition through a video showcasing our strengths and it was extremely well-received.

Q: What is the maturity level today in Egypt for the Facilities Management sector?  

When we talk about maturity, we are still average. I would actually put it at the growing stages – with some professionals and organizations implementing standard FM services but they are not a lot in number. And this is where our role comes in, to increase the number of the companies, not to increase the competition, but to elevate the level of service. 

Q: Where do you see Egypt's built environment in the sustainability journey? 

Even before COP27, the private sector in Egypt’s built environment has launched initiatives to make the industry more sustainable. We have many multinational organizations in Egypt that are already  part of this strategic direction. COP27 has brought the spotlight on us today but work has been going on from much before. Not everyone is at the same level, but the awareness is already there and we did not wait for COP27 to start on this journey. The private sector is actually leading in this direction.