Japan to give our Universal Health Ins. System a JPY 44 bn lift: The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will provide JPY 44 bn (c. USD 336.3 mn) in concessional financing to support the rollout of the Universal Health Ins. System under an agreement signed with the Finance Ministry yesterday, the ministry said in a statement. The loan will help the government complete the implementation of the new system over the next seven years and achieve targets according to schedule, the statement says.

SOUND SMART- What’s concessional finance? It’s just fancy-speak for financing that a borrower (us) gets from a lender (JICA) a lower interest rate and / or more favorable terms than would typically be available in the market.

REFRESHER- First announced in 2016, the Universal Health Ins. System is designed to provide comprehensive healthcare to all citizens, regardless of financial capacity to pay, while linking up healthcare providers through a digital backend that stores patients’ medical information and history.

FUNDING FOR WOMEN-LED BUSINESSES FROM ITFC-

Women-led businesses are getting USD 500k in funding, courtesy of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) and the International Trade Center, according to Al Mal. The two sides will join forces to fund the second phase of the She Trades initiative, which provides support to female entrepreneurs.

BACKGROUND- Wat’s She Trades? It’s an ITFC initiative launched last year with the aim of increasing the participation of women-owned SMEs in Egyptian exports. The second phase of the initiative will support 100 women-led agricultural and handicraft businesses and help them enter new markets overseas.

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