WASHINGTON, Sept 22, 2018 (MENA) - The World Bank (WB) announced Saturday a $300 million loan to Egypt for complementing the current ‘'Sustainable Rural Sanitation Services Program'' to support the expansion of the government's efforts to improve rural sanitation services in Egypt's poorest governorates. "Making sure everyone has equal access to key services is essential for inclusive growth and shared prosperity" a press release quoted Acting World Bank Country Director for Egypt, Yemen and Djibouti Samia Msadek as saying on Saturday. "This is especially true for services that affect the health and well-being of the population, which Egypt has recognized with the launch of its ambitious project. We are proud to support these efforts, with the conviction that investments in the health and education of people, in human capital, is the most important, long-term investment a country can make", she noted. "Ensuring that every Egyptian has access to good quality sanitation services is a national priority,'' said Egypt's Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr, who also represents Egypt on the World Bank's Board of Governors. ‘'Our partnership with the World Bank through this program is providing vital support for reaching this goal. Good sanitation is critical for protecting the health of our population, Egypt's most precious resource, and ensuring that we can all live full, productive lives", she asserted. The original $550 million program was launched in 2015 in support of the government's National Rural Sanitation Program (NRSP), which aims to guarantee good quality sanitation services for a rural population of around 50 million Egyptians. The initial Bank program focused on the priorities of connecting households near important waterways to improved sanitation systems, and decentralizing sanitation services to improve their quality by making them more accountable to citizens. The program has so far supported the launch of a performance-based grant system for local Water and Sanitation Companies and made significant progress toward the initial goal of connecting 167,000 rural households, or 833,000 Egyptians. The additional financing will scale-up the program to build on the momentum toward the decentralization of sanitation services and more than double the goal to 345,000 households, or around 1,710,000 Egyptians. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is co-financing the scaled-up program with $300 million. The additional financing will also support the construction or upgrading of wastewater treatment facilities to appropriate standards. The program will rely on local Water and Sanitation Companies for both the household connections and the construction of sanitation infrastructure. The aim is to further empower local Water and Sanitation Companies by strengthening their operational and financial performance, and ultimately improving the sustainability of the national sanitation system. ‘'The program aims at enhancing the performance of the sector's institutional approach to service delivery,'' said World Bank Lead Water and Sanitation Specialist and Team Leader of the program Osama Hamad. ‘'Not only will the operation alleviate the health and economic burdens inflicted upon citizens by contaminated water, it will also ensure the sector's sustainability and guarantee that citizens have uninterrupted access to a fundamental public service'', he noted. The World Bank finances programs and projects to help Egypt reduce poverty and boost shared prosperity. The focus of Bank support includes social safety nets, energy, transport, rural water and sanitation, agriculture and irrigation, housing, health care, job creation, and financing for micro and small enterprises. The World Bank currently has a portfolio of 16 projects with a total commitment of $6.69 billion.
