The Egyptian House of Representatives approved on Monday loans and grants agreements aiming to upgrade the first line of the Cairo Metro, develop Abu El-Rish Hospital’s Outpatient Clinics, and promote resilience in desert environments.
During Monday’s plenary session, the parliament approved a €205m loan agreement to upgrade the first line of the Cairo Metro. The agreement was signed with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in August 2018.
The 32-year-old system runs from Helwan southern Cairo to EL-Marg in Cairo’s northeast.
Meanwhile, the parliament’s transport and economic affairs committee prepared a report on a presidential decree approving the loan agreement, asserting the urgent need to pass the agreement and getting the funds necessary for improving the line’s infrastructure, upgrading the network services, and reducing pollution.
Moreover, the House of Representatives has also approved a €53m loan and an €860,000 grant agreement to promote resilience in desert environments, which was signed with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in February 2018.
Parliament’s agriculture, irrigation, food security and economic affairs committee said the deal would serve the goals of Egypt’s Vision 2030 for sustainable development. It added that the agreement is trying to enhance resilience for harsh climate conditions in desert environments, creating job opportunities, eventually reducing the poverty rate.
The parliament also approved a presidential decree on increasing the value of a grant by the Japanese government dedicated to establishing Outpatient Clinics for the child specialised hospital in Abu El-Rish, from 1.560bn to 1.983bn Japanese Yen.
