Egypt, Netherlands sign €1.6m grant deal for Nile Delta coastal protection study

Egypt and the Netherlands signed a €1.575 million ($1.7 million) grant agreement on Thursday to finance feasibility studies for protecting vulnerable beaches in the Nile Delta using natural materials, Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation said.

The agreement was signed by Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hany Swailem, Dutch Ambassador to Egypt Peter Mollema, and Deputy Foreign Minister Samar El-Ahdal. The grant is provided by Dutch state-owned finance institution Invest International.

The funding will cover a pre-feasibility study for five priority coastal sites, as well as a detailed feasibility study for the areas in the Nile Delta most in need of protection works, the ministry said in a statement.

Swailem said the studies would enable the ministry to develop a clear and comprehensive future plan for coastal protection in the delta, one of the country’s most climate-vulnerable regions.

He added that the work would build on the outcomes of a study on identifying sustainable sand sources in the Mediterranean Sea, presented during the 8th Cairo Water Week in October 2025. Securing sustainable sand supplies for beach nourishment is a key step towards implementing environmentally friendly and effective coastal defence measures, he said.

Swailem described the agreement as the latest milestone in more than 50 years of cooperation between Egypt and the Netherlands in water management, a partnership he said is based on trust, knowledge exchange and joint scientific solutions.

Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English