Egypt's housing ministry and Switzerland's State Secretariat for Economic Affairs signed an agreement on upgrading water, and sanitation services in Upper Egypt.

The five-year project aims to improve water and sanitation facilities and enhance living conditions of about 15.3 million people living in Qena, Sohag, Assiut and Minya governorates, said Swiss Ambassador to Egypt Markus Leitner.

The German Development Bank, the French Development Agency, the European Investment Bank, and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs will fund the project with 209 million euros while the Egyptian government will provide the remaining 94 million euros.