Engineer Raeda El Menshawy, Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, received a delegation from the French Development Agency (AFD), headed by Clémence Vidal, AFD Regional Director in Egypt, at the ministry’s headquarters in the New Administrative Capital.
The meeting focused on enhancing joint cooperation in implementing drinking water and sanitation projects, reviewing the implementation status of ongoing projects, and discussing future opportunities for collaboration in the utilities sector. The meeting was attended by Engineer Ahmed Omran, Deputy Minister of Housing for Utilities, along with ministry officials.
At the beginning of the meeting, Engineer Raeda El Menshawy praised the longstanding cooperation between the Ministry of Housing and the French Development Agency, which has contributed to the implementation and support of several vital utilities projects.
She noted that these efforts strengthen the state’s initiatives to improve drinking water and sanitation services, enhance infrastructure efficiency, and achieve sustainable development goals. She also commended the agency’s role as one of Egypt’s key development partners in supporting infrastructure projects.
The meeting reviewed the implementation status of projects currently being carried out in cooperation with AFD. These include the third-phase expansion of the Gabal El Asfar Wastewater Treatment Plant with a capacity of 1 million cubic meters per day, the expansion of the Helwan Wastewater Treatment Plant with a capacity of 250,000 cubic meters per day, and the New East Alexandria Wastewater Treatment Plant project with a capacity of 300,000 cubic meters per day.
The discussions also covered the Integrated Water Services Project (IWSP2) in the governorates of Assiut, Minya, Sohag, and Qena, in addition to technical assistance programs related to improving wastewater treatment systems and sludge management.
The meeting also explored prospects for cooperation during the coming phase, particularly support for implementing Egypt’s National Seawater Desalination Strategy and collaboration on water loss reduction programs to improve the efficiency and sustainability of water resource management.
Discussions also addressed AFD’s potential participation in the second phase of the presidential “Decent Life” initiative, specifically in implementing household connections for drinking water and sanitation projects. For her part, Clémence Vidal and the accompanying delegation expressed the French Development Agency’s pride in its longstanding partnership with the Egyptian government, emphasizing that Egypt is one of the agency’s most important partners in the region.
They described the projects implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Housing as successful models of joint development cooperation. The delegation also expressed the agency’s aspiration to expand cooperation in the coming period by launching new projects that support the development of the utilities sector, particularly in seawater desalination, improving water-use efficiency, and enhancing the sustainability of drinking water and sanitation services in line with Egypt’s national priorities and development plans.
The French Development Agency delegation also presented Engineer Raeda El Menshawy with a commemorative book marking the 20th anniversary of the agency’s work in Egypt. The publication documents projects implemented in cooperation with various Egyptian entities and highlights the success stories of these initiatives and their impact on improving citizens’ quality of life and advancing sustainable development efforts.
At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides agreed to continue coordination and cooperation to identify priorities for future projects, contributing to the accelerated implementation of national utilities projects, improving the efficiency of services provided to citizens, and achieving sustainable development in accordance with Egypt’s national vision.