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Egypt-Germany developmental cooperation amounts to EUR 1.7bn – Ministry

Egypt-Germany developmental cooperation amounts to EUR 1.7bn – Ministry
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Cairo – Mubasher: The Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, Rania El-Mashat met with Alexander Solyga, Country Director of the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) in Egypt to discuss areas of joint cooperation.

In addition, the minister discussed the framework of Egypt’s development priorities and the status of ongoing projects implemented in partnership with government agencies.

The meeting was attended by Stephanie Sorensen, Secretary and Deputy Head of the Development Cooperation Sector at the German Embassy in Cairo, according to the ministry’s press release.

This meeting comes within the framework of the Ministry of International Cooperation’s readiness to hold periodic meetings with multilateral and bilateral development partners, to follow up on the portfolio of ongoing projects and to resolve any obstacles that arise during implementation,

In addition, the ministry wants to coordinate with relevant government agencies in order to ensure the achievement of the desired results from the projects implemented in collaboration with development partners.

The discussion covered the status of ongoing projects with the GIZ in Egypt and stakeholders. The cooperation portfolio with the GIZ includes 14 projects that amount to about EUR 117.8 million across different sectors: migration, energy efficiency, renewable energy, sanitation services, labour market, technical education and vocational training, urban development, administrative reform, development of women and youth, community development, private sector support, and solid waste management.

They also discussed global partnerships that have recently been implemented, including the Egyptian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration (EGC), which was inaugurated in November 2020 under the supervision of the Ministry of Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs. The project received development financing worth EUR 2 million.

El-Mashat said that the Ministry is working towards advancing global partnerships to promote effective economic and development cooperation with multilateral and bilateral development partners, through the three principles of Economic Diplomacy; Multi Stakeholders Platform, the Official Development Assistance mapping to the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Global Partnerships Narrative that puts “People at Core”, “Projects in Action,” and “Purpose as the Driver”.

The Minister praised the cooperation with Germany, involving the different stakeholders to push forward the development agenda, be it line ministries or the KfW development bank.

El-Mashat reiterated that the partnerships with Germany work towards enhancing joint cooperation in light of Egypt’s development vision.

Meanwhile, Alexander Solyga, Director of the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), thanked the Ministry of International Cooperation for its coordinating role in facilitating partnerships with stakeholders and line ministers to implement development projects.

Among the most prominent projects implemented in cooperation between relevant authorities, line ministries and the GIZ, is the National Solid Waste Management Programme (NSWMP), amounting to EUR 6 million for the Ministry of Environment, aiming to reform Egypt’s waste sector and to build an integrated system for solid waste management across four governorates: Kafr El-Sheikh, Al Gharbia, Qena, and Assiut.

The bilateral portfolio also encompasses the Agricultural Innovation Project (AIP) that is worth EUR 7 million, allocated for the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation. The AIP aims to increase the income of small farmers in Upper Egypt through tapping on innovation in the agricultural sector. Moreover, the Employment Promotion Programme (EPP III) which amounts to EUR 16 million allocated to the Ministry of Education and Technical Education and aims to promote youth employment through providing job opportunities of a non-academic nature, and technical and vocational training, in order to prepare them for the labour market.

The Ministry’s cooperation portfolio with Germany amounts to EUR 1.7 billion to develop various sectors and to advance towards achieving the sustainable development goals: energy efficiency, renewable energy, water sanitation, irrigation, solid waste management, migration, labour market, private sector support, technical education, vocational training, urban development and administrative reform, development of women and youth, and community development.