The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted the signing of eight co-operation agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on Wednesday involving the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Education and Technical Education, Transport, and Health and Population, alongside several Egyptian government agencies, the French Development Agency (AFD), the European Union and a number of French companies.
The ceremony was attended by Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aati, Minister of Transport Kamel el-Wazir, Minister of Local Development and Environment Manal Awad, and Minister of Education and Technical Education Mohamed Abdel Latif.
Also present were Éric Chevallier, France’s Ambassador to Egypt; Véronique Vouland-Aneini, Executive Director of Operations at the AFD; and Clémence Vidal de la Blache, AFD Country Director in Egypt.
Addressing the event, Abdel-Aati highlighted the steady growth of the strategic partnership between Egypt and the AFD over the past two decades, which has delivered landmark development projects in key sectors including transport, energy, water security and infrastructure.
He noted that these initiatives have played a significant role in improving public services and supporting Egypt’s economic and social development.
The foreign minister said the newly signed agreements reflected the strength of Egyptian-French relations and the two countries’ shared commitment to advancing sustainable development, particularly in healthcare, education, technical and vocational training, and green industry.
He described the long-standing partnership between Egypt and France as a successful model of international co-operation founded on mutual trust and a common vision.
Among the agreements signed were two financing agreements worth a combined €300 million to support Egypt’s Universal Health Insurance System. The funding will help strengthen the sustainability of the healthcare sector and expand access to services nationwide.
The two sides also signed a memorandum of understanding supporting the Primary Healthcare Development Project, aimed at improving the quality of essential healthcare services and enhancing the efficiency of health facilities across the country.
In the education sector, a grant agreement was signed with the Ministry of Education and Technical Education to support the teaching of French as a second foreign language in public schools.
Two letters of intent were also signed to establish applied technology schools in partnership with the ministries of Transport and Education and Technical Education. One school will be established at the Wardan Institute, while the second will be developed in co-operation with RATP, with the aim of strengthening technical education and equipping students with skills aligned with labour market needs.
The agreements also included a €45 million credit facility for the Sustainable Green Industry Project, implemented in partnership with the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency. The project is expected to support Egypt’s transition to a greener economy and advance environmental sustainability goals.
Additionally, a grant agreement was signed to support a project aimed at improving access to services in targeted areas and expanding economic opportunities in co-operation with the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA).
The agreements underscore Egypt’s and France’s commitment to further deepening their strategic development partnership and advancing efforts to achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth, while enhancing citizens’ quality of life and supporting the implementation of Egypt’s long-term development vision.
