Egypt has launched the second phase of the Community Development Program (CDP), with a total financing of EGP 111m. The phase comes under the supervision of Egypt's Ministry of International Cooperation, the European Union (EU), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSMEDA). MSMEDA has signed framework agreements with five Egyptian governorates to support the provision and enhancement of community facilities. These include drinking water and sewage networks, paving side roads with interlocking paving, as well as enhanced schools, health clinics, and youth centres. The CDP aims to finance community infrastructure investments that will improve living standards for disadvantaged and vulnerable persons living in and around urban centres in several governorates across Egypt. The programme answers several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Decent Work and Economic Growth, Industry, Innovation, Infrastructure and Sustainable Cities and Communities. The CDP has received a grant totalling €15 m from the EU, under its Neighbourhood Investment Facility (NIF) which is delegated to the EIB, and which has been implemented in two phases. Phase one, worth a total of EGP 113m, is focused on projects to be completed by the end of 2020, while phase two, worth EGP 111m, is focused on work that will be completed by the end of 2023. The projects financed under phase two include the upgrade of 1.75 km of water supply networks in Assiut. Projects have also been set up to extend and upgrade 32.1 km of sanitation networks services in Assiut, Giza, Port Said and Sharqeya. Additionally to this, there will be an improvement of side roads quality and safety in Assiut, Giza and Alexandria, and the upgrade of a local market in Alexandria. Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat said that the CDP's two phases with MSMEDA support are set to stimulate sectors that are labour intensive. This will, in turn, accelerate job creation and generate other employment opportunities. Ivan Surko, EU Ambassador to Egypt, said the EU remains committed to supporting Egypt in its sustainable development goals under the country's Vision 2030, particularly under the Urban Development Pillar. “With our partners EIB and MSMEDA, we are contributing to enhancing quality of life of the communities targeted under the Community Development Programme through tangible improvements in the municipal infrastructure of a number of cities across Egypt,” Surko added.
