Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr signed eight agreements with the head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Sherry Carlin, worth $121.6m in the sectors of investment, education, health, agriculture, and water in the headquarters of the USAID in Cairo.
Nasr said the agreements are a result of the meetings of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi with US President Donald Trump in New York a few days prior. She pointed out that the agreements are based on the needs of Egyptians and the support needed by governorates in each sector.
“These agreements show our strong partnership of nearly four decades and the positive impact of our efforts on Egyptian citizens,” Carlin said. “We work on enhancing stability and growth in Egypt,” she added.
Nasr said that the ministry is keen on communicating with the deserving segments of citizens that exist in a number of governorates, especially in Upper Egypt.
One of the aid agreements is worth $6m in the favour of the Ministry of Health. It aims to enhance Egypt’s programme for family planning and improving reproductive health.
The agreements also included the second phase of an aid agreement for basic education worth $13m in favour of the Ministry of Education. It aims to improve the main skills of students in basic education.
Nasr said that the rest of the agreements include the second part of the agricultural works for rural development and increasing incomes in favour of the Ministry of Agriculture worth $12m, in addition to other various forms of cooperation.
Over the partnership period between the USAID and Egypt, the Egyptian economy received good support, and there were several attempts to limit poverty, according to Carlin. She added that the USAID has been able to contribute by $30bn since 1978 to support and develop the services of health, education, and employment.
This is the first cooperation between the Egyptian government and the USAID since the American administration decided to cut the financial aid to Egypt, estimated at $95.7m, in August and to postpone the disbursement of $195m for lack of progress of human rights and democratic norms.
The US administration has also cut nearly $100m of military and economic aid to Egypt and delayed almost $200m more in military financing.
