Egypt’s Ministry of International Cooperation has secured development finance worth $2.36bn, through multilateral and bilateral cooperation, to launch 36 education and scientific research development projects across 74 locations nationwide. The finance aims to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal No. 4 (SDG 4): Quality Education.
According to the Official Development Assistance mapping to the SDGs (ODA-SDG Mapping), 15 development partners provided funds worth $2.36bn, representing 9.2% of the ongoing development financing portfolio.
The secured funding reflects Egypt’s commitment to developing education across all levels, including scientific research and in preparing the country’s youth for the job market, all while emphasizing the importance of international partnerships in supporting the national development agenda.
The multilateral development partners who contributed to the provision of these funds are: the European Union (EU), the World Bank Group (WBG), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This is in addition to bilateral cooperation with Japan, China, the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), the United States of America, South Korea, Germany, Canada, and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.
The statement issued by the Ministry of International Cooperation indicates that the development funds concluded with development partners contribute to the implementation of various projects, the most important of which is a project supporting the comprehensive national strategy for the development of pre-university education. Funded by the WBG at a value of $500m, the project aims to improve the quality and effectiveness of education, and to build on the capacity of teachers and instructors; all contributing to SDG 4: Quality Education, and SDG 5: Gender Equality.
Moreover, the SFD is financing the inaugural project of the second phase of King Salman International University (KSIU), worth 187.5m Saudi Riyals ($49.9m), as a way to enhance higher education opportunities for residents of the Sinai Peninsula so that they are given the opportunity to remain in Sinai, rather than have to travel to other governorates to have access to quality education. Through access to more educational opportunities, this project achieves SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.
The United States of America also provided $256.2m for the U.S.-Egypt Higher Education Initiative that aims to increase access to quality education and strengthen the institutional capacity of the country’s higher education through partnerships between Egyptian and American universities.
Through development financing secured from Japan worth ¥2.9bn ($27m), efforts are being made to supply research and educational equipment to the Egypt Japan University Of Science & Technology (E-JUST) to support bettering the performance of university’s educational content in the undergraduate Faculty of Engineering.
Within the framework of the state’s education strategies, Germany and the EU are providing development financing worth €51.1m ($59.9m) to improve the technical and vocational training, employ youth, and increase market competitiveness to achieve SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.
Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, explained that within the framework of the Ministry’s keenness to consolidate the principles of transparency and governance and enhance communication with the people, the ODA-SDG map, in light of the second principle of economic diplomacy, allowed citizens and development partners to view the details of all projects implemented across Egypt’s governorates in various sectors. Projects are grouped according to their locations and the relevant SDGs they serve.
Al-Mashat stressed that the map enables Egypt to fulfill its development priorities by identifying what has been implemented and, consequently, pinpointing the gaps so as to direct future partnerships towards bridging these gaps. The map promotes transparent and effective communication with stakeholders and citizens to learn about the national development efforts made through international partnerships.
