5 Grant Agreements Worth Usd 45 Million Signed Between Egypt And USA
5 Grant Agreements Worth Usd 45 Million Signed Between Egypt And USA
Source : Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation
07-Aug-2018
Egypt and America have signed 5 grant agreements worth USD 45 million in the fields of agriculture, higher education, science & technology, health, and governance. The agreements have been signed by the Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Dr. Sahar Nasr and Mission Director for Egypt for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Ms. Sherry Carlin.The first agreement is a grant worth USD 5 million in favor of the Ministry of Health and Population for enhancing Egypt’s Family Planning and Reproductive Health Program to render it more effective and sustainable through improving the quality of family planning services, besides supporting the demographic and health survey in Egypt 2018 which will collect, analyze and spread high-quality data on health and population. The second agreement is worth USD 27 million in favor of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and aims to create an educated workforce that meets the labor market needs, increases job opportunities for university graduates, promote institutional capacities of higher education institutions through partnerships and increase scholarships. The agreement also includes activities related to the National Scholarship Program (NSP), the university centers program for career development, and a program for enhancing school and educating teachers of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.Moreover, the third agreement is worth USD 4 million in favor of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research with the aim to broaden the scope of relations between scientific and technological communities in both countries, enhance scientific and technological cooperation for peaceful purposes, and exchange ideas, information, skills and techniques of mutual interest. The fourth agreement is worth USD 3.5 million in favor of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation with a view to increase income and job opportunities for agricultural workers in targeted communities in Upper Egypt (Beni Suef, Minia, Assuit, Sohag, Qena, Luxor and Aswan) through increasing productivity and focusing on gaps and new fields. The fifth agreement is worth USD 5.3 million in favor of the Ministry of Justice, the National Council for Women (NCW) and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) with a view to support Egypt in maintaining the rule of law and good governance through enhancing capacities of the Egyptian courts, improving management of the electoral process, increasing participation of citizens, and enhancing political and legal frameworks with preventing all forms of violence against women.
Dr. Nasr emphasized that such agreements emphasize strategic relations between Egypt and America as well as economic cooperation between both countries, noting that such agreements came within the framework of implementing the President’s directives to invest in human capital.The Minister pointed out that such agreements were meant to invest in citizens and youth either through grants provided to the higher education or through those directed to health care and family planning. She mentioned that the government’s economic program needed greater support of governance, transparency and sound institutional system, thanking the American side for supporting Egypt through development programs.
“Through cooperation with MIIC, we work together to build the more prosperous Egypt through the programs’ sustainable gains according to the needs of targeted groups,” stated Ms. Carlin. “Such agreements in the fields of health, education, governance, and agriculture reflect strong and constant partnership between both countries and our continuous commitment to work with the Egyptian government towards the achievement of more prosperous economic future for the Egyptian people,” she clarified. “Over 40 years, the USAID worked with the Egyptian people to improve self-dependence mechanisms, enhance stability and economic growth, and eliminate poverty. Such programs constitute part of USD 30 billion invested by the American people in Egypt through the USAID since 1978 to improve health and education and provide the Egyptian people with job opportunities,” added Ms. Carlin.