In implementation of the directives of H.E. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister, and in support of national efforts to expand water desalination projects in partnership with the private sector, promote sustainable water resource management, and enhance climate resilience, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, convened an expanded meeting with international financial institutions and development partners to discuss scaling up investments in water desalination projects and developing sustainable sector infrastructure.
The meeting was held within the framework of Egypt’s close relations with development partners, through the water pillar of the NWFE national country platform.
The meeting was attended by Mr. Abdelrahman Diaw, Country Manager of the African Development Bank; Ms. Clemence Vidal, Director of the French Development Agency (AFD), along with representatives of Proparco; a delegation from the International Finance Corporation led by Mr. Saad Sabra, IFC Country Manager for Egypt; Ms. Reem El Saady, Deputy Head of the EBRD Office in Egypt; Mr. Gonzalo Correa, Vice President for Egypt and Regional Head of Sustainable Infrastructure for the Middle East and Africa at the EBRD; Mr. Hassan Amin, Chief Executive Officer of ACWA Power Egypt; representatives of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC); the German Development Bank (KfW); and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The meeting addressed joint efforts between the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation and development partners to mobilize concessional financing and technical assistance for water desalination projects in Egypt. Discussions also covered ACWA Power’s expansion plans in the desalination sector, ways to increase private sector investment, and mechanisms to strengthen public-private partnerships.
During the meeting, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat underscored the importance of water desalination and treatment projects in Egypt, given their critical role in the State’s vision to enhance sustainable water resource management. She noted that the water sector represents a key pillar of cooperation with international institutions and development partners through the NWFE national country platform, and that joint efforts aim to incentivize greater private sector investment in these projects.
She highlighted that these efforts have resulted in several major projects over recent years, including the Bahr El-Baqar wastewater treatment system—one of the largest such facilities globally—which contributes to providing treated water to expand agricultural land in Sinai, in addition to the Al-Mahsama wastewater treatment plant and several seawater desalination facilities.
She further emphasized that the Egyptian government provides full support to the private sector to increase investment in strategic sectors, including water, and to strengthen partnerships between private companies and international financial institutions through technical assistance and concessional financing, in line with the State’s development priorities.
It is worth noting that in 2023, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat witnessed the signing of a partnership agreement between the International Finance Corporation, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and Egypt’s Sovereign Fund to support public-private partnerships and provide technical advisory services for the development of four seawater desalination plants. These projects are expected to supply 335,000 cubic meters of clean water per day, with future expansion to 650,000 cubic meters per day in Matrouh Governorate and the North Coast, as part of the government’s efforts to ensure access to clean water and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.