Egypt and Switzerland have signed a 1.4m Swiss franc ($1.7m) grant agreement to launch a project aimed at building a national system for the sustainable management of electronic waste, supporting the country’s transition to a circular economy and expanding green industries.
The agreement was signed by Egypt’s Minister of Local Development and Environment Manal Awad and Swiss Ambassador to Egypt Andreas Baum in the presence of Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and officials from both countries.
According to Egypt’s Environment Ministry, the Circular Electronics Initiative (CEI) will support the development of an integrated framework for the reuse and recycling of electrical and electronic waste in line with Egypt’s Vision 2030 and sustainable development goals.
Awad said the initiative marks a new phase in Egyptian-Swiss cooperation and comes as electronic waste becomes one of the world’s fastest-growing waste streams while also creating new opportunities for green economic growth.
She said the project places particular emphasis on developing environmentally sound recycling systems for refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment, which contain substances that can contribute to ozone depletion and climate change if improperly handled.
The ministry said the initiative builds on the Sustainable Recycling Industries (SRI) programme, implemented between 2016 and 2025, and aims to strengthen Egypt’s legal, institutional and regulatory framework for electronic waste management in line with international best practices.
The project will focus on four main areas: strengthening legislation and sector governance, establishing compliance and monitoring mechanisms, developing professional systems for collecting and recycling electronic waste, and improving data collection and monitoring while applying the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) principle.
Under the agreement, Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) will finance the project with a grant of 1.4m Swiss francs. Egypt’s Waste Management Regulatory Authority will lead implementation in coordination with the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, while the World Resources Forum Association (WRFA) will implement project activities.
The Swiss Embassy’s Office of International Cooperation will oversee implementation on behalf of the Swiss government, while a steering committee will supervise work plans, budgets and performance indicators.
The project is scheduled to run until June 30, 2029, with the aim of increasing electronic waste recycling and reuse rates, promoting investment in green industries, improving resource efficiency and reducing the environmental impacts of electronic waste.
