Egypt launches EU-funded Community Development Programme Phase II

Cairo –  The second phase of the community development programme has been launched by the Egyptian Ministry of International Cooperation (MOIC), the European Union (EU), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSMEDA) with a total funding of EGP 111 million.

MSMEDA signed framework agreements with five governorates in the most populous Arab nation to promote utility services and community facilities, according to a statement on Monday.

The services include building drinking water and sewage networks, schools, health clinics, and youth centres as well as paving side roads.

The second phase covers the implementaion of projects in Assiut, Port Said, Alexandria, Sharkia, and Giza.

Under the neighbourhood investment facility (NIF), the community development programme is financed by a EUR 15 million grant from the EU and is delegated to the EIB.

The programme is executed in two phases. The EGP 113 million first phase focuses on projects to be completed by the end of 2020, while the second phase, worth EUR 111 million, focuses on works to be completed by the end of 2023.

“The Ministry of International Cooperation continues working closely with the EU and the EIB to provide sustainability-focused and community-based solutions paving the way to inclusive and enabled economic growth,” minister of international cooperation Rania Al-Mashat said.

“The two phases of the community development program with MSMEDA stimulate sectors that are labour intensive accelerating job creation and generating employment opportunities,” Al-Mashat added.