President El-Sisi Meets with PM and Minister of International Cooperation

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi held a meeting with Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly and Minister of International Cooperation Dr. Rania Al-Mashat.

As stated by the Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency, the meeting was an overview of the efforts made by the Ministry of International Cooperation from the economic and development strategic context to strengthen cooperation with international development partners.

The President emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation with international financial institutions, stressing on properly picking the best financing alternatives while applying exemplary funding governance provided by these international institutions to achieve remarkable sustainable development in various sectors. Moreover, the Ministry of International Cooperation should immediately start executing all projects where the co-finance agreements were approved, especially those concerning production and industrial projects.

According to the Spokesman, the Minister of International Cooperation showcased the most prominent efforts achieved by the ministry, especially those related to the increase of the effectiveness of developmental cooperation with international partners to benefit from previous experience and success stories as an effective tool to achieve sustainable development. In addition, the Minister stated that the ministry is following up on the current projects under construction in various sectors.

The meeting also showcased the results of the field visit of Dr. Al-Mashat to check on the sustainable development agricultural projects in Upper Egypt area, which are carried out in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)- who are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the inception of the United Nations. The importance of food security is underlined so as to achieve sustainable development; A total of nearly 500 villages are expected to benefit from the agricultural projects in Upper Egypt by 2023, either through the usage of modern irrigation systems or the promotion of strategic crops via modern farming systems.

Dr. Al-Mashat also presented the activities of the ministry when it comes to loans and co-finance agreements that are currently under negotiation- whether at the bilateral or multilateral levels- in order to support the various state sectors.

The Minister also showcased the Ministry's efforts to encourage the participation of the private sector in development projects by strengthening Egypt's regional position that is attractive to entrepreneurs. Furthermore, Dr. Al-Mashat shed light on the ministry's endeavors to promote development cooperation with African countries.

The Minister also introduced the recent activities of the ministry when it comes to the state’s strategy and development efforts in the Sinai Peninsula, along with a detailed current overview of the financial situation of development projects executed in Sinai what has been executed. These projects aim to support the social and economic development in Sinai and strengthen sustainable development.

Finally, President El-Sisi issued directives to expand the developmental clusters currently being executed in Sinai, while taking a deep and understanding look on the success stories of the non-governmental organizations to ensure the creation of full-fledged societies. This is in addition to the economic activities to attract investments and create more job opportunities.