The World Bank approved two loans to Egypt totalling $430 million for it to develop its railway network and modernize its irrigation's mechanisms. They come under the World's Bank strategy for Egypt which comes to an end in the New Year. The first loan, of $330 million, provides additional financing to the Egypt National Railways Restructuring Project (ENRRP). It will go towards modernising the signalling systems ondifferent lines, the bank's Country Director for Egypt, Yemen and Djiboutito, David Craig revealed to Ahram Online. The second loan will go towards Egypt's Strategy of Sustainable Agricultural Development 2030, the first phase of a long-term national program to modernise irrigation on 5 million feddans (about 0.42 hectares). The project aims to increase agricultural efficiency and improve access to high quality water for around 140,000 small-scale farmers on 200,000 feddans in the Nile Delta regions of Mahmoudia, Manaifa and Meet Yazid.
