Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department provides to support programmes to improve the economy of Egypt.

The UK is helping to address Egypt’s economic and demographic challenges as part of our support for the transition to long-term stability in North Africa. The DFID/FCO North Africa Joint Unit is responsible for assistance provided through the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund. This includes a £15 million partnership with the World Bank from 2016-2020 to create jobs and promote social inclusion; and a £2 million partnership with the International Finance Corporation over 2017-2020 to help support Egyptian start-ups and entrepreneurs. We are providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Finance and other parts of the Egyptian Government to help implement economic reforms. We are also planning to fund research into economic reform policy in Egypt.

In 2017 DFID provided a $150 million guarantee to the World Bank for a $1.15bn Development Policy Loan to Egypt, focused on supporting economic reform and promoting jobs and inclusive growth in Egypt. DFID also funds the Arab Women’s Enterprise Fund (AWEF) in partnership with the Islamic Development Bank (each providing £10 million for the region). Over five years (2015-2020), AWEF’s goal is to improve the income and well-being of 150,000 women across Egypt and Jordan by addressing systematic barriers facing different sectors of the economy. The fund has a target of 120,000 direct and indirect women beneficiaries in Egypt.