Photo Courtesy of CNN
While Europeans are offering up houses to refugees, an Egyptian billionaire wants to buy an island where tens of thousands of refugees can live and work.
Naguib Sawiris is offering to buy an uninhabited island from either Italy or Greece large enough to sustain up to 200,000 people.
“All I need is the permission,” Sawiris told CNN. “I’ll pay for the island, I’ll provide the jobs.”
The CEO promises to pay refugees to build their own houses and schools along with a hospital and university.
He heads Orascom, a diverse company spanning transportation, construction, and communications, which is Egypt’s largest private sector employer.
The Sawriss family has been active in helping Egyptians through their foundation for 14 years. It provides scholarships, training and job placement for people and awards prizes for Egyptian literature.
Sawiriss suggests the refugees could turn the island into their own country and suggested naming the new nation “Hope.”