Egypt, ILO inspects 1st phase of Value Chain Development Project in Gharbiya

CAIRO – 4 April 2021: Minister of International Cooperation Rania A. Al-Mashat inspected and followed up on the results of the first phase of Egypt Youth Employment (EYE RAWABET) project, along with Governor of Gharbiya, Tarik Rahmy,; and Eric Ochlan, Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Office in Egypt and Eritrea, and Director of the Decent Work Team for North African Countries.

This came in light of developing value chains in the dairy sector in Gharbiya Governorate, which was implemented in partnership with the Ministry of International Cooperation and the ILO, and with funding from the Norwegian government.

The visit comes within the framework of the role played by the Ministry of International Cooperation to follow up on the implementation of projects financed by development partners to ensure the achievement of desired results. The inspection visit included a tour to dairy collection centers developed through the EYE Rawabet project in accordance with the standard requirements for a daily collection integrated center, to provide agricultural services, veterinary services, and improving farmers' productivity by ensuring the quality of dairy products.

This is in addition to visiting small dairy producers in the Rawabet project, who were supported with capacity development activities in fields of livestock farming, dairy quality, animals’ regime and veterinary problems, as well as a tour to the site of establishing a unit of biogas within the framework of the project, by a number of participating breeders. These units hold economic, social and environmental yields and contribute to supporting the achievement of sustainable rural development.

Al-Mashat congratulated the working teams who implemented the project, the small dairy producers and the benefiting private sector companies on the completion of the first phase of the value chain development project in the dairy sector, stressing that the project reflects Egypt’s interest in achieving economic development in rural communities, and improving the living conditions of farmers so as to enhance their productivity.

The Minister explained that the importance of the Rawabet project lies in its ability to bring together all stakeholders to the dairy production chain value - including the farmers, suppliers, veterinarians and manufacturers, in order to create an added value and to maximize yields for entrepreneurs and young farmers through sustainable development.

Al-Mashat indicated that the Ministry of International Cooperation is keen to establish successful partnerships with multilateral and bilateral development partners to implement projects that will positively affect the implementation of the national development agenda, and to support the implementation of Egypt’s goals in developing agricultural and rural communities, creating job opportunities and enhancing the Private Sector engagement.

She pointed out that the partnership with the ILO to implement this project acts as a model that can be emulated in the development of value chains in various sectors through effective partnership with stakeholders. It is through the Rawabet project that successful partnerships were created between Egypt, development partners, private sector, small farmers, and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

The Minister added that the project will continue to achieve better and stronger benefits for farmers and the dairy sector in Gharbiya Governorate, noting that the successful partnership with the ILO comes within the framework of the Ministry’s role to advance multilateralism, through the principles of Economic Diplomacy.

Tariq Rahmi, Governor of Gharbiya, praised the Rawabet project for developing value chains for the dairy sector in his governorate, indicating that it is one of the top dairy producing cities in Egypt. He described the project as an enriching intervention that contributes to improving the livelihood of small farmers.

He explained that dairy production is considered one of the most strategic industries aiming to increase the job opportunities in the country. Rahmi thanked the Ministry of International Cooperation and the ILO for their vital role in the project’s implementation enhancing the farming and trade sectors in Gharbiya.

From his part, Eric Ochlan, Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Office in Egypt and Eritrea, and Director of the Decent Work Team for North African Countries, affirmed that achieving rural development through promoting decent work is one of the ILO's priorities since 1919, utilizing its experience and its longstanding commitment to promoting decent work in the rural community, as it has enormous potential to create decent and productive jobs that contribute to achieving sustainable development and economic growth.

Ochlan added that the ILO project has identified the dairy sector and selected it as one of the sectors that has high potential for comprehensive growth and decent job creation, especially since the dairy sector is a major component of the rural economy in Egypt as it is one of the basic activities done by many families in rural communities.

Nashwa Bilal, Director of “Egypt Youth Employment: Jobs and Private Sector Development in Rural Egypt” project, said that this initiative aims to develop the value chain of the dairy sector, and is working to facilitate the establishment of effective links between all stakeholders including small dairy producers, in the field of dairy circulation and processing in a number of selected villages in Delta; in order to improve and raise the sector’s efficiency, boost the economic empowerment of the beneficiaries, and enhance their living conditions through promoting rural development.

Bilal emphasized that connecting the value chains of the dairy sector is a fundamental factor in developing a sustainable system, through which all stakeholders can add value and achieve good yields. The project aims to provide an inclusive structure where all stakeholders can participate in order to achieve the desired results. Bilal elaborated that the initiative is implemented in cooperation with North Africa for Agribusiness Development (NAAD), focusing on catalyzing the farming sector in the African continent.

She added that in the first phase of the project, which lasted for a year and a half, necessary support was provided in terms of training and health care activities to more than 200 farmers and nearly 1,000 cows, and their linking services to the "Pharaonic" dairy collection service center. The project developed the center to make it an exemplary technical support center, serving the farmers in the area.

“Egypt Youth Employment (EYE RAWABET): Jobs and Private Sector Development in Rural Egypt” is developed in cooperation with the ILO and the Norwegian government, with a development financing worth $3.78 million.

In 2020, the Ministry of International Cooperation signed development financing agreements worth $100 million, with multilateral and bilateral partners to enhance food security and develop the rural villages.