International Cooperation Ministry, USAID Sign $22.8 Mln Deal

The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and Egypt’s Ministry of International Cooperation signed, today, Wednesday, an agreement to add $22.8 million to the five-year Inclusive Economic Governance bilateral assistance agreement. In line with Egypt’s Vision 2030, this funding is intended to improve the investment environment and empower women to join in the labor force.

Acting USAID Administrator, John Barsa, said: “We are pleased to announce that the United States is contributing an additional $22.8 million to support Egypt’s economic growth and women’s empowerment, as part of a five-year agreement to advance economic growth that benefits all Egyptians."

"The United States looks forward to continuing our partnership to support effective and transparent public institutions, empower women and youth, encourage cooperation between different faith communities, and ensure that all Egyptians benefit from essential services.”

“Our strategic partnership with the Government of the United States and USAID is sustained through forward-looking development programs that push forward inclusive economic growth in line with the Government’s vision."

"This year, we identified seven priority sectors and allocated additional financing to execute more projects in health, education, higher education, science and technology, agriculture, governance, and trade,” Dr. Rania Al Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, said.

U.S. Ambassador Jonathan R. Cohen stated, “Over the past 40 years, the United States has invested over $30 billion in Egypt’s development. We helped bring water and sanitation services to over 25 million Egyptians, helped digitalize and grow the telecommunications sector, brought electricity to millions of Egyptian homes and businesses, preserved historic sites, assisted farmers, built thousands of schools, trained over 100,000 teachers, and eliminated polio in Egypt, among other contributions. We will continue to position Egypt for a prosperous future.”