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Egypt
EXAMPLES OF OUR IMPACT
- USAID provided libraries for 39,000 Egyptian public schools, totaling over 24 million books.
- Significant USAID funding for polio campaigns contributed to the eradication of polio in 2006.
- USAID supported the training of more than 13,000 local election observers nationwide.
USAID/EGYPT SITE
egypt.usaid.gov
CONTACTS
Mission Director
Hilda Arellano
USAID/Cairo
Unit 64902
APO AE 09839-4902
Tel: 20-2-2522-6500
Desk Officer
William Riley
Tel: (202) 712-5815
Email: wriley@usaid.gov
Badeea El Basiouny, a mother of five, has mastered the craft of painting wooden dolls. She is a beneficiary of USAID’s Small and Micro Enterprise Development program, which assists in expanding the economic output of small and micro enterprises, thereby increasing employment and income opportunities among Egypt’s low-income entrepreneurs. (Photo: Dalia el Nazer) Overview
For three decades, the United States and Egypt have collaborated closely on economic development and regional stability. Coordination on the Middle East peace process, interest in a strong and open Egyptian economy, and cooperation in countering terrorism are pillars of the two nations' relationship. USAID assistance has totaled $28 billion since 1975. Current programs focus on trade and investment; utilities; education; healthier, planned families; natural resources; and democracy.
Programs
Economic Growth: Enhancing Trade And Investment
USAID has helped Egypt become a success story in economic development. The Egyptian government has implemented, with USAID assistance, a wide variety of reforms that lowered tax rates while increasing tax revenue, cut barriers to trade, and opened industries to competition. As a result, the real gross domestic product growth rate has averaged 7 percent since 2006, about twice the historic average, although this rate has recently declined as a result of the global economic crisis.
USAID plans to continue working with the Government of Egypt to further remove trade impediments and increase Egypt’s participation in the World Trade Organization and U.S.-Egypt trade programs. USAID will work with the Egyptian government to encourage private sector growth in order to create jobs for Egyptians and reduce poverty. USAID also supports specific sectors that have high growth potential and/or are critical to the success of the overall economy. For example, USAID-supported reforms in agriculture and agribusiness helped increase agricultural exports from $8.2 million in 1975 to $541 million in 2005.
Economic Growth: Improving Utility Services
Over the last 30 years, USAID and Egypt have worked together on power, telecommunications, water, and wastewater services. The results are impressive: 99 percent of the population now has electricity in their homes, and 98 percent of the population has access to clean water. In 1975, only one in 100 had access to telephones. Today, there are 31.6 phone lines per 100 people. The current focus is on improving the sustainability of potable water and sanitation, a sector in which USAID is supporting major policy, regulatory, and institutional reforms.
Economic Growth: Managing Natural Resources
USAID has supported Egyptian efforts to resolve environmental problems, including solid waste management, air quality, energy efficiency, and coastal resources management. USAID programs to improve air quality based on lead pollution abatement, relocation of lead smelters out of residential areas, and a lead remediation program contributed to a 75 percent reduction in blood lead levels in an industrial suburb near Cairo. USAID’s efforts to preserve Egypt’s natural resources and slow the encroachment of mass tourism developments have resulted in improved environmental management, the expansion of sustainable tourism, and activities that preserve the culture and traditions of indigenous peoples.
Investing In People: Education
USAID supports Egypt’s efforts to improve student achievement by raising the quality of teaching. USAID programs have trained 65,000 teachers since 1999, provided school libraries to 39,000 primary and preparatory schools nationwide, and introduced computers and data projectors into classrooms. Sixteen thousand primary schools have participated in a school improvement program based on Egyptian national standards.
USAID is expanding equitable access to education through support for school construction and renovation in remote and densely populated areas. USAID has also funded adult literacy programs and the production of Alam Simsim, the Egyptian Sesame Street. USAID has provided 284 scholarships to the American University in Cairo since 2004.
Investing In People: Health
USAID has worked with the Egyptian government on policies and programs to improve health coverage for underserved populations and to strengthen the technical and managerial capacity of the health sector. Achievements include historic gains made in reducing the total fertility rate, as well as maternal, infant, and under five mortality rates. Earlier detection of avian influenza cases as a result of USAID-supported outreach and training activities has also resulted in lower H5N1 fatality rates.
Governing Justly And Democratically
USAID programs strengthen the administration of justice and improve access to justice for disadvantaged groups; promote decentralized governance and more competitive electoral processes; and strengthen the capabilities of civil society organizations. Programs have increased access to justice for more than 16,000 children and 8,700 families; provided training for more than 2,000 media professionals; and supported more than 100 joint community-local government initiatives to solve local problems.
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