The Greater Cairo Pollution Abatement Project in Egypt is receiving $9.13 million in funding. The grant was awarded on 1 March 2023 by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, led the signing of the funding agreement.
The $9.13 million package will strengthen the management of electronic and hospital waste, including the construction of treatment and recycling plants in Cairo. These facilities will support existing plants in the Egyptian capital, most of which are run by private companies, including Recyclobekia.
Protecting human health and the environment
The GEF grant will also fund activities aimed at changing the behaviour of city dwellers, through raising awareness of the negative effects of pollution by this hazardous waste. In 2017 alone, Egypt generated 4.4 million tons of e-waste according to Global E-Waste Monitor, some of which came from Greater Cairo. Equally dangerous, the management of medical waste is of concern to the Egyptian authorities.
In Greater Cairo, the project will also reduce air pollution caused by thick smoke slicks called “black cloud”. According to the Egyptian Ministry of the Environment, these black clouds account for 42% of the country’s air pollution. On 15 September 2021, the World Bank released an initial $200 million in funding for this component of the project.
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To improve air quality in Greater Cairo and mitigate the impacts of climate change, the Egyptian government is currently working to strengthen the local air quality decision support system, reduce emissions from the public transport system, and change the behaviour of Cairo’s residents through awareness of the dangers of air pollution.
Inès Magoum