Egypt and the World Bank (WB) have signed a USD 300 mn agreement to bolster the infrastructure in rural areas and most needy governorates, proceeding with the “Sustainable Rural Sanitation Services Program,” Invest-Gate reports.

Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr and World Bank Group Vice President for Middle East and North Africa Ferid Belhaj inked the agreement on October 13 on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the WB and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) held in Indonesia’s Bali, according to a ministerial statement.

The project aims to complete providing sanitation services to 892,000 citizens in the neediest governorates, including Sharqia, Dakahlia, Damietta, Gharbia, and Monufia, Nasr said, noting that around 818,000 citizens have already benefited from the project’s first phase.

According to Nasr, the deal comes in line with the government’s efforts to enhance the infrastructure in rural areas and improve social protection networks for the poor and limited-income brackets.

For his part, Belhaj said that the WB’s decision to invest in the Egyptian human capital is due to the reforms the country has implemented to achieve a comprehensive leap in health care and education services while developing social protection programs.

Launched in 2015, the USD 550 mn program aims to support the government’s National Rural Sanitation Program (NRSP), which targets guaranteeing good quality sanitation services for a rural population of nearly 50 mn Egyptians.