Rome, 17 February 2025 – Initiatives financially supported by IFAD have proved effective in delivering infrastructure and other rural services. Over the past years, positive outcomes have included the development of water infrastructure and equitable water distribution, as well as integrated community support packages. In addition, projects have improved institutional capabilities for the operation and maintenance of water and irrigation systems. The overall technical sustainability of water systems is also positive, with growing focus on participatory water management. Steven Jonckheere, Senior Evaluation Officer at the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE), and lead author of the Egypt Country Strategy and Programme Evaluation (CSPE), presented these and other related findings during a national workshop on 17 February 2025.

The CSPE offers significant examples of improvements in local infrastructure, such as those achieved through the Sustainable Agriculture Investments and Livelihoods (SAIL) project. These include rehabilitation of 41 km of main canals in Lower Egypt, which covered about 2,520 ha of land, and the transformation of 524 ha in Middle Egypt from surface irrigation to drip irrigation. Additionally, SAIL has supported the construction and rehabilitation of nine clinics, eleven nurseries, six schools, two youth centres, four veterinary facilities, nine sewing units, and one computer and women's centre.

“I would like to stress that the partnership between IFAD and Egypt is a major reflection of a successful example in the area of rural development. We hope to continue to work together, to evaluate, to improve results and find innovative solutions”, said Ms Doaa Orabi, Financing Institutions, Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, speaking on behalf of the Honourable Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation,

Co-organized by the Government of Egypt and IOE, in collaboration with IFAD’s Near East, North Africa, Europe, and Central Asia Division (NEN) Division, the on-line virtual workshop brought together high-level attendants, including Ms Doaa Orabi, and Dr Naeem Moselhy, Minister's Advisor for Follow-up and Evaluation and National Coordinator of the PRIDE Project. Over 70 participants joined the event, representing the government of Egypt, development partners, civil society organizations, private sector partners, and IFAD senior management and staff.

During the workshop, participants discussed the main findings, recommendations and issues emerging from the CSPE. The meeting also provided an opportunity to focus on the opportunities and challenges of the partnership between IFAD and the Government in the near future and discuss strategic priorities for IFAD's upcoming programme.

“After four decades the partnership between IFAD and the Government of Egypt remains pertinent to make rural economy more inclusive and sustainable, and to reduce poverty and hunger. The focus of this partnership remains on tackling water scarcity, unemployment and landlessness, and supporting farmers’ organizations. Over time, projects have also become more effective in delivering infrastructure and other rural services”, affirmed Dr Indran A. Naidoo, IOE Director.

This was IOE’s third CSPE in Egypt. It covered the period 2017-2023, including five projects of a total cost US$646.3 million, with US$330 million financed by IFAD. The rest came from the Government, beneficiaries, and other co-financiers. The evaluation focused on IFAD’s 2019-2024 country strategy and opportunities programme (COSOP), the objectives of which were to improve rural incomes and livelihoods by boosting agricultural productivity and profitability, and developing policies for inclusive, sustainable rural transformation. The findings of the report will help inform IFAD’s new country COSOP, in 2025.

“Egypt has made significant strides towards rural development, giving great attention to the transformation of the agricultural sector as the main engine for reducing poverty, creating jobs and strengthening food security. For IFAD, Egypt is a key partner […] The evaluation confirms that IFAD’s financed projects did secure promising results despite the economic challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the impacts of the war in Ukraine and other international and regional geopolitical developments”, noted Dr Donal Brown, Associate Vice-President, Department of Country Operations, IFAD.

Workshop participants discussed how IFAD’s country programme contributed to improvements in household incomes and assets. These occurred especially through rural finance, both for farm and non-farm investments, and to some extent agriculture productivity, marketing and income generating activities effects. The country programme also contributed in many ways to human and social capital strengthening, especially through farmer field schools, literacy training and management support for community development associations, water user associations and groups at systems and farm level, and agricultural cooperatives.

“Our national projects in the areas of livestock and fisheries aim to improve the genetic features of the breeds. This comes in addition to all the policies that provide support to farmers, providing the inputs, loans and credits necessary for the development of the dairy sector, and to the projects that help farmers adopt contractual arrangements”, underscored Dr Naeem Moselhy, Minister's Advisor for Follow-up and Evaluation and National Coordinator of the PRIDE Project.

Other positive results achieved included the introduction and expansion of methods and infrastructure aimed at improving environmental and natural resource management, particularly by promoting water efficiency and managing soil fertility. Equally noteworthy were the improvements in food security and nutrition, which were attained by increasing agricultural yields, cutting post-harvest losses and raising incomes.

During the event, experts also touched upon the areas for improvement that remain. In this regard, it was found that IFAD’s interventions lacked a well-defined policy agenda with practical entry points and failed to create essential strategic partnerships. National platforms, like the Nexus of Water, Food, and Energy programme, were not utilized effectively for policy engagement. Moreover, the projects struggled to effectively consolidate and communicate field lessons, which hindered their ability to influence policy processes.

Furthermore, rural finance interventions performed poorly due to limited additionality and inadequate consideration of target groups' needs, while capacity building efforts were developed based on immediate project needs rather than thorough, long-term capacity assessments.

In addition, there was no evidence of scaling up. Neither in the closed projects, nor in the ongoing ones was there any evidence that innovations or successful experiences from the country programme were being adopted and disseminated by development partners, stakeholders’ resources being invested or the Government adopting a policy framework to bring these practices to scale.

Looking ahead the CSPE recommends incorporating natural resource management and adaptation to climate change into the upcoming strategic priorities and addressing them in a holistic manner. It also suggests that investments in interventions that address water use efficiency should continue to be a priority, but with more emphasis on sustainability, and that the country programme’s marketing and value chain interventions should be sharpened, while catering to the unique financial needs of value chain participants.

With a population of 102.8 million in 2022, Egypt is the most populous country in North Africa and the Arab world. As a lower middle-income country, it has faced economic challenges. In 2020, Egypt's poverty rate declined for the first time in 20 years due to public investment in services, health, education, and expanded social protection. However, high inflation impacts vulnerable groups, emphasizing the need for stronger social safety nets. Tackling poverty in rural Upper Egypt remains crucial because of higher-than-average poverty rates. Food insecurity rose slightly from 2016 to 2022. Key factors include reliance on grain imports, food accessibility for low-income households, climate change effects on agriculture, high food waste, and quality concerns.

For further information, please contact Dr Alexander Voccia, Senior Evaluation Communication & KM Specialist [here].

• To access the Egypt CSPE Executive summary, please click here.
• To access the Egypt CSPE infographic, please click here.
• For information on the visit of the IFAD Executive Board to Egypt, with the participation of Dr Naidoo, please click here.
• For information on Dr Naidoo’s engagement in  the first National Egyptian Association for Evaluation (EgyEval) Meeting, on 15 February 2024, please click here.

• To access the brochure ‘More than a journey | 20 years of independence, please click here.
• To access the latest edition of Independent Magazine, please click here.
• To learn why independent evaluation makes IFAD a more credible institution, please click here.

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