Accomplishments

Over the last 30 years USAID has made significant contributions to Egypt. USAID has invested almost $5.6 billion in physical infrastructure programs including electric power, water, wastewater and sanitation, telecommunications and transportation.

USAID has invested approximately $605 million in telecommunications since 1987, resulting in 860,000 new telephone lines serving approximately 5 million people. Since 1975, USAID/Egypt invested almost $1.7 billion in the electric power sector. The results are impressive: 99% of all Egyptians now have access to electricity. USAID’s nearly $3 billion investment in water and wastewater activities has helped make clean water accessible to 98% of all Egyptians.

USAID’s social and economic development strategies in health care, basic education and agriculture have improved the quality of life for millions of Egyptians. Child survival and birth spacing programs have been successful, with infant mortality rate being reduced by 75% from 1975 to 2005. Polio cases dropped from 626 in 1991 to 1 case in 2003 and in January 2006, the World Health Organization announced polio had been eradicated from Egypt. Maternal mortality declined by 61% between 1992 and 2004.

USAID-financed family planning activities have increased the use of modern contraceptives from 35.4% in 1988 to 57% in 2005. With increased contraceptive use, the total fertility rate has declined from 5.3 average live births per woman in 1980 to a healthier 3.1 live births per woman in 2005. 

USAID’s FY 2004 education program benefited more than 70,610 girls and women. Since 1975, USAID helped increase access to education through community schools, literacy programs, and school construction, funding more than 2,000 new schools and 4,000 classrooms to expand existing schools. Female primary school attendance has significantly increased in 2004. The goal of U.S. assistance is to help more Egyptians acquire the basic education and skills needed for productive lives by mobilizing communities around the education of their children.

USAID's agricultural and microfinance programs have helped hundreds of thousands of micro-enterprises and small farmers expand their businesses and increase their incomes.

More than $1 billion in local-currency loans to over 250,000 micro entrepreneurs at under $350 each have been generated by USAID's assistance to indigenous microfinance institutions. Giving millions of Egyptian farmers the freedom to choose what crops they plant and sell, USAID-supported reforms to have substantially helped farmers meet Egypt's food needs while doubling fruit and vegetable exports and raising farm income.

Enhancing Egypt's private sector is also the objective of one of USAID's largest programs, the $200 million annual Private-Sector Commodity Import Program. This program has provided over 1,700 of Egypt's most dynamic private companies access to U.S. equipment and industrial supplies to produce consumer goods, generate jobs for young Egyptians, and increase productivity for Egyptian firms. This will contribute to increased trade and investment.

USAID support to the capital markets helped establish a modern stock exchange that has adopted international best practices and standards.