An agreement has been reached between Egypt and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development for the construction of two desalination plants. The plants will take shape in the new cities of Rafah and Bir al Abed in North Sinai.

According to a report by Egypt Today, the loan agreement worth $18.27m between Egypt and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development has been approved by president Abdel Fattah El Sisi.

The financing comes in addition to $168.4m from the Kuwait Development Fund for road infrastructure projects, split between $85.9m for a project to complete the Shark El-Sheikh Tunnel Road, along with $82.51m to complete the Transverse Road 4 project.

In April last year, North Sinai governor Mohamed Shousha also announced that construction of the largest desalination plant in Africa and the Middle East had started. The capacity of the first phase is 100,000cu/m per day, while the second and third phases is 300,000cu/m per day.