Cairo – Mubasher: Egypt’s minister of investment and international cooperation Sahar Nasr has signed eight cooperation agreements worth $121.6 million with the mission director of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Sherry Carlin in the sectors of investment, education, health, agriculture, and water.
These agreements came as a result of president El-Sisi’s meeting with his US counterpart Donald Trump in New York, Nasr said in a statement on Wednesday.
The USAID will grant $6 million for the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, as the US’s total contribution will reach $29 million by the time the agreement expires in 2020, Nasr added, pointing out that this agreement aims to reinforce family planning and reproductive health in Egypt.
The Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Development and the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater will be also granted with $50.8 million to bolster integrated solutions for water, she noted.
Moreover, a $13 million will be given to the Egyptian Ministry of Education to improve student’s main skills at the primary education stage.
In addition to the second phase agreement of US-Egypt Higher Education Initiative Bilateral (HEI) worth $27 million for the Ministry of Higher Education and the State for Scientific Research, which aims to create an educated workforce in the labour market.
The minister also signed the second part of the US-Egypt Science and Technology Cooperation agreement at $4 million, to be bestowed to the higher education ministry, in order to strengthen scientific cooperation between both countries.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation will be awarded $12 million for developing countryside, boosting incomes, and providing job opportunities in Upper Egypt, Nasr revealed.
The second part of the Trade and Investment Promotion in Egypt (TIPE) agreement worth $5.1 million to achieve economic growth in Egypt through enhancing productivity and bolstering small- and medium-business (SMBs).
The tenth part of the government administration initiatives agreement was also signed at $3.6 million in favour of the ministries of justice and social solidarity, the National Council for Women, and the National Population Council to implement various activities in the fields of criminal jurisdiction, family justice, and media development.
The USAID Egypt’s mission director said that the agency programme has provided $30 billion since 1978 till present to support and develop the services of health and education and Egyptian citizens’ recruitment.
