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MSMEDA, EU sign €27m agreement to counter illegal migration The agreement works through three development programmes that provide alternatives and employment opportunities for young people in Egypt to limit illegal migration.
In the framework of Egypt's efforts to confront illegal migration, the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA) signed a €27m grant deal with the European Union to address the root causes of the phenomenon. The agreement works through three development programmes that provide alternatives and employment opportunities for young people in Egypt to limit illegal migration. The first programme is for youth employment in infrastructure projects, such as replacing, renewing, and expanding water networks; covering small canals; paving and maintenance of bridges in rural areas; and restoration and maintenance of public service buildings. These projects require intensive labour which provides thousands of jobs for low and medium-skilled youth as well as training on such works and activities, which qualify them to continue working in these fields after that the programme. The second programme is for youth employment in the areas of health and environmental awareness and literacy, where young people are rehabilitated and trained in coordination with the relevant authorities and ministries to provide such services in rural areas. The people of these areas will benefit from the services besides creating employment opportunities for young people there. The third programme is for training youth on several crafts and industrial skills to qualify them for self-employment according to the requirements of the labour market. The programme will launch small and micro projects. Executive Director of MSMEDA Nevine Gamea says the agreement reflects the agency's keenness to address illegal migration and give young people practical alternatives through training and qualification for the labour market and establishing small and micro projects. The geographical scope of this agreement includes 11 governorates that mainly suffer from the phenomenon of illegal migration, namely Baheira, Sharqia, Daqahlia, Gharbiya, Qalyubiyah, Menoufia, Kafr El Sheikh, Minya, Assiut, Fayoum, and Luxor.
