STRATEGY

USAID/Egypt's strategic goal is the development of a globally competitive economy benefiting Egyptians equitably.

Supporting that goal are two sub-goals:

• Creating private sector jobs
• Sustaining the human and natural resource base

USAID/Egypt's strategy addresses Egypt's fundamental development challenges through multiple program areas:

• Trade and Investment, including environment and antiquities
• Education, including workforce development
• Health, including family planning and infectious disease surveillance and response,
• Infrastructure, including water and wastewater, electric power, and telecommunications, and
• Democracy and governance, including the administration of justice, Egyptian NGOs and Citizen participation and institutions.

Trade and investment: Strengthening the Economy

USAID is increasing its microfinance assistance in the coming five years to more than double the number of poor entrepreneurs who will benefit.  In agriculture, producers receive assistance to develop their own organizations, enhance technical capacities, and expand domestic and export sales.  The dynamic information and communications technology sector also benefits from USAID's assistance in training and business formation. 

The US has identified Egypt's financial sector as a key force in guiding the economy towards job-creating investments, and USAID is supporting financial privatization and technical strengthening in areas including commercial banking, real-estate finance, and insurance.  The macroeconomic stability required for a growing economy is a priority concern of the Egyptian government, which is drawing on US expertise, financed and supported by USAID.  Increased openness to international trade is supported through assistance for improved procedures at ports, customs reforms, participation in trade-opening initiatives with the WTO, and continued promotion of US-Egypt trade through the Private Sector Commodities Import Program for industrial inputs. 

To support Egyptians' efforts for more democratic governance and an improved business environment, USAID will be assisting Government of Egypt Ministries, Egyptian law schools and regulatory agencies to strengthen laws governing the business sector and to foster transparency and consistent application.

Environment and Antiquities
USAID helps the Supreme Council of Antiquities to protect Egypt's vast cultural heritage, restore and conserve numerous antiquities, and enhance visitor flow. This is done through grants to the American Research Center in Egypt and various other American and Egyptian specialized institutions.

Through policy reform, capacity-building, public-private partnerships and citizen awareness activities, USAID assists Egyptian efforts to improve environmental and natural resource management in four areas: Nile water, Red Sea natural resources, urban/industrial pollution, and energy efficiency. 

Education: Improving basic education

USAID activities focus on developing and implementing effective models of formal and non-formal education reform in poor communities, in both urban and rural settings, in targeted communities in seven governorates namely: Alexandria, Cairo, Fayoum, Beni Suef, Minya, Qena and Aswan.  Special emphasis is placed on girls' education.  The program addresses education reform, with community mobilization and capacity building at the local level.  The program supports capacity building for central institutions responsible for policy, delegation of authority, improved standards, teacher training and materials development.  Information technology has been introduced in 40 schools to create a model that can be applied to more schools in the future. Teacher training efforts have resulted in a portal which houses 6,000 IT-enriched lessons from the national curriculum and provides a professional development curriculum for teachers.           

USAID also supports projects and scholarships with the American University in Cairo and tourism training in collaboration with the Egyptian Tourism Federation. 

Various supplementary materials such as the national books program which promotes literacy, high quality children's literature and strengthen the private book publishing industry has provided a 700 book library to each of the 39,000 public schools in the nation.

USAID's efforts to ensure gender equality in education have helped raise the primary school attendance of girls from 56% in 1975 to 95% in 2005. 

Health and Population: Supporting healthier, planned families

USAID/Egypt continues to advance family planning, reproductive health and maternal/child health. The most recent change within the health program is the integrated reproductive health services project that builds on the best practices of two previous USAID-funded projects (family planning and reproductive health; and healthy mother/healthy child) which focused on maternal and child health care.  This is expected to be the last USAID-funded health project in Egypt and is designed to be fully transferred, in 2011, as a sustainable program with management responsibilities and funding provided by public and private Egyptian organizations.

Assistance is provided to assist building Egypt's capacity to conduct infectious disease surveillance and to respond to endemic and emerging diseases. These efforts include HIV/AIDS and Avian Influenza.

Infrastructure: Increasing access to sustainable utility services

As the mission's infrastructure program winds down, the focus is shifting to enhancing the provision of services and the environment for increased private sector investment and improved efficiency.  The commercial practices of utilities are being strengthened and legal and regulatory frameworks in targeted sectors are being improved, to increase the efficiency of utility and environmental service provision.

Democracy and Governance: Supporting Egyptian initiatives in governance and participation

USAID supports expanded efforts for judicial reform, including criminal courts reform, legal education and activities to increase access to justice for women and disadvantaged groups.  In the area of civil society and local governance, USAID provides assistance to grassroots organizations.  Such efforts promote linkages between the citizen and the state, increasing transparency and accountability at the local level. 

USAID is expanding upon current efforts in media, moving from journalist training activities to activities with broadcast media to reach a broader base at the local level.  Attention is being directed to enhancing knowledge and attitudes regarding democratic values and practices, with a focus on youth.