Egypt, US ink $45mln grants

Cairo: Egypt and the US signed five grant agreements worth a combined $45 million in the fields of agriculture, higher education, science, technology, health, and governance.

The first agreement is a $5 million grant for the Egyptian health ministry to improve the health outcomes of the target groups, according to a statement by the investment and international cooperation ministry on Wednesday.

The second grant worth $27 million will be for the higher education ministry as part of the Egyptian-American higher education initiative.

The third agreement, worth $4 million, is a completion for the Egyptian-US cooperation agreement in science and technology with the higher education ministry in an effort to strengthen relations between the scientific and technological communities of both countries.

The fourth agreement was signed at a value of $3.5 million in favor of the agriculture ministry to maintain the agricultural development work agreement and raise incomes and jobs in the targeted communities in the Upper Egypt governorates by increasing productivity.

The fifth agreement was signed within the framework of the government administration initiatives at a value of $5.3 million for the ministries of justice and social solidarity, the National Council for Women, and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood to reinforce the abilities of the Egyptian judiciary.

The agreements were signed by Egyptian investment minister Sahar Nasr and the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) mission director in Egypt Sherry Carlin.