Egypt's Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) signed on Tuesday five agreements for grants worth $45 million, according to a statement by the ministry issued on Wednesday. The grants will be spent on projects in the sectors of agriculture, higher education, science and technology, healthcare, and governance. The signing of the agreements affirms the strategic and economic relations between Egypt and the US, Investment Minister Sahar Nasr said. A $5 million healthcare grant will be spent on family planning as well as a 2018 survey on health and demographics. Another $27 million grant will be allocated for higher education and scientific research to prepare graduates for the needs of the job market. The $27 million grant will be spent on increasing partnerships between universities and the number of awarded scholarships, as well as offering training for teachers. The third grant is worth $4 million, and targets deepening relations between scientific communities in Egypt and the US, and increasing scientific and technological development for peaceful purposes through an exchange of technology, information and skills. A $3.5 million grant will be allocated to increasing the income of agriculture workers in Upper Egypt by working on increasing production and connecting them to international markets. The fifth grant, which targets governance, is worth $5.3 million and will be provided to the ministries of justice and of social solidarity, the National Council for Women, and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood. The grant is set to boost the capacities of the justice system, improve the electoral process, and consolidate the political and legal frameworks to deal with violence against women. Minister Nasr said the grants are about investing in the Egyptian citizen. Sherry Carlin, USAID Mission Director in Egypt, said Egypt and the US are cooperating to achieve sustainable outcomes of programmes that are tailored to the needs of Egyptian citizens. Carlin stressed on the strong partnership between the two countries through such grants, which are part of $30 billion spent by USAID in Egypt since 1978.
