Egypt and USAID have approved the notion of expanding a strategic partnership through seven agreements signed during 2020 that are worth $112 million.
The action came during a meeting held on Thursday between Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat and the Head of USAID John Barsa, during his first visit to Egypt, at the Ministry’s headquarters.
US Ambassador to Egypt Jonathan Cohen, Director of the USAID office in Egypt Leslie Reed and Senior Adviser at the US National Security Council Sarah McCain were among those present.
Al-Mashat said that cooperating with USAID reflects a strategic partnership between Egypt and the US, and comes within the framework of the ministry’s efforts to enhance economic diplomacy.
“We are pleased to announce that the US is contributing an additional $22.8 million to support economic growth in Egypt and empower women, as part of a five-year agreement to advance economic growth that benefits the nation," said Barsa. "The US looks forward to continuing our partnership to support effective and transparent public institutions, empower women and youth, encourage cooperation between different religious communities, and ensure all Egyptians benefit from basic services,” he added.
For his part, US Ambassador Cohen said that over the past 40 years, the US has invested more than $30 billion in to Egypt's development.
“We helped provide water and sanitation services to more than 25 million Egyptians, helped digitize and develop the communications sector, bring electricity to millions of Egyptian homes and companies, preserve historical sites, help farmers, build thousands of schools, train more than 100,000 teachers, and eradicate polio. In Egypt, among other contributions. We will continue our support to propel Egypt into a prosperous future”, Cohen added.
Cooperation portfolio of the USAID with Egypt has exceeded $30 billion since 1978, in various sectors; most notably health, population and education, while the projects portfolio, signed since 2014, amount to about $800 million, including $72.5 million for the agriculture sector.
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