● Al-Mashat highlights the framework of international cooperation and development financing to enhance economic relations between Egypt and multilateral and bilateral development partners.
● The meeting also reviewed the details of development grants from the USAID and its role in enhancing the work of UN agencies in Egypt
● The meeting discussed the signings with the USAID, worth $130 million in education, health, trade, investment, governance, agriculture, and climate action during 2023, and more than a $1 billion in grants since 2014.
● They looked into aspects of cooperation in the field of climate action through US initiatives during COP28.
● They discussed increasing investment efforts in human capital by expanding the implementation of STEM Schools
● They discussed services provided by USAID to the newly launched private sector engagement portal: Hub for Advisory, Finance and Investment for Enterprises.
● Strengthening joint work with the American Chamber of Commerce to stimulate blended financing and consolidate partnerships with the US private sector to implement development projects in Egypt.
The Minister of International Cooperation H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat met with the new US Ambassador to Egypt Ms. Herro Mustafa Garg who officially began her duties last November. This is within the framework of the role played by the Ministry of International Cooperation to strengthen economic relations with multilateral and bilateral development partners to support the Government of Egypt’s efforts and development vision.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Minister welcomed the new US Ambassador, stressing the depth of the joint economic relations between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America, and looking forward to further joint work with the US Embassy, the USAID in Egypt, and various entities, to strengthen relations, development cooperation relations and .stimulating cooperation with the private sector; building on the efforts achieved over the past four decades.
Framework for International Cooperation & Development Financing
Al-Mashat presented the framework of international cooperation and development financing for the Arab Republic of Egypt, through which the Ministry of International Cooperation works to regulate economic relations between Egypt and international development partners, and the various platforms for policy-making and activating partnerships through national strategies, such as the “NWFE” program, the nexus of water, food and energy, as well as the Hub for Advisory, Finance and Investment for Enterprises.
Development Grants
The two sides discussed ongoing cooperation and coordination between the Ministry of International Cooperation and the USAID in Egypt, with the aim of strengthening the country’s development efforts in various priority areas, especially investment in human capital, such as health and education, noting the signing of 8 grant agreements with the USAID in September, worth $130 million. This includes enhancing efforts made in basic education, higher education, health, water, trade and investment, governance, agriculture, and climate action.
The Minister stressed the importance of these grants in enhancing the work of UN agencies in Egypt, as the volume of grants has exceeded $1 billion since 2014. The Ministry of International Cooperation is working to achieve integration between these grants and the work of UN agencies through its chairmanship of the steering committee for the strategic framework with the UN in partnership with the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Egypt.
Vital and Labor-Intensive Projects
H.E. also explained the importance of cooperation with the USAID in implementing vital labor-intensive projects in partnership between the government and private sectors, such as the Integrated Management of Cultural Tourism (IMCT) project, which the USAID finances with a grant worth $13 million. This enhances investment in historical heritage areas, in light of what the Ministry is doing to emphasize placing people at the core of partnerships through the various strategies implemented. The meeting also looked into the partnership with the American Chamber of Commerce to stimulate blended financing and implement partnerships with US private sector companies for development projects in Egypt.
UN Climate Conference Outcomes
The meeting also discussed the results and outcomes of the United Nations Climate Conference COP28 in the United Arab Emirates, which built on what was achieved Sharm El-Sheikh’s COP27, where the two sides discussed the initiatives launched by the USA at COP and the proposed aspects of cooperation in order to support the efforts undertaken by Egypt. Among these initiatives are the partnership to create a global clean energy supply chain that stimulates investment in clean energy production, the energy transition accelerator, the private investment initiative through comprehensive climate change action, and the “Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils” (VACS) program that enhances the response to global food crises and enhances food security, the Women in the Sustainable Economy (WISE) Initiative, and others.
Moreover, Al-Mashat and Garg discussed Egyptian-US relations in implementing the energy pillar within the national platform of the “NWFE” program, the implementation of the joint political declaration between Egypt, the United States and Germany during COP27, and the US grant that will be provided worth $35 million to support the program’s projects through a climate initiative agreement with the USAID.
In this regard, Al-Mashat explained that the Ministry of International Cooperation is working to coordinate with the USAID and other development partners contributing to the implementation of the energy pillar within the “NWFE” program, within the framework of ongoing meetings to achieve integration between the various efforts.
The Hub for Advisory, Finance and Investment for Enterprises
Additionally, the Minister presented the details of the private sector engagement portal “Hub for Advisory, Finance and Investment for Enterprises”, which the Ministry launched this month as part of the efforts undertaken by the Government of Egypt to empower the private sector. H.E. explained that the platform is the first of its kind that links the financial and non-financial services provided by multilateral and bilateral development partners. The private sector in Egypt, whether large, medium, small, or micro companies, as well as emerging companies, can learn about technical support, tenders, available services, and financing services through the platform.
The Minister stressed her keenness to strengthen cooperation with the USAID to showcase the opportunities it provides for cooperation with the private sector, and H.E.’s keenness to include other US agencies and institutions to achieve integration in these services.
The STEM Schools
Al-Mashat referred to the cooperation with the USAID in implementing schools for outstanding students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and the STESSA project to support the preparation of specialized teachers in those schools, as the implementation of the project began in 2014, and since that period, about 18 schools have been launched in 11 governorates. Worth $124 million in grants, this project includes more than 5,000 thousand students, which have contributed to strengthening the country’s efforts to empower girls with educational opportunities, address dropout from schools, and support their abilities to achieve their ambitions in a way that enhances the economic and social empowerment of women.
Al-Mashat stressed the government’s keenness to expand these schools within the framework of efforts to invest in human capital, develop education, efforts made to pay attention to outstanding students, and enhance communication between technical teams from both sides.
H.E. added that the Ministry published the Annual Report for 2023 under the title “Platforms for Policy and Partnerships,” which includes details of cooperation efforts with various multilateral and bilateral development partners, and the various strategies and platforms supervised by the Ministry to support the country’s efforts in various fields.
It is worth noting that over the course of more than 4 decades, Egyptian-US relations have witnessed significant development, and the total joint cooperation portfolio has reached about $30 billion since 1978. The ongoing cooperation portfolio with the USAID since 2014 has recorded about $1 billion, through which a wide range of projects.
To Read More, Check Out the Annual Report for 2023: