Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has travelled to Cairo to announce a package worth more than £5 million to help Egypt's transition to democracy while calling for the lifting of "harsh" emergency laws and greater opportunities for women.
Clegg will meet Prime Minister Sharaf as well as young activists and business leaders on the trip, which is his first official visit to the country.
More than £5 million will be provided for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to help provide credit for new businesses and give technical assistance to entrepreneurs.
The package also includes £500,000 to help ensure that media coverage during Egypt's upcoming elections is more balanced than in the past, particularly with regard to women candidates, and to fund an "international presence" during the elections.
The deputy prime minister will also pledge support for higher education, apprenticeships and small business training for 10,000 people in Egypt and Tunisia.
At a meeting in Cairo with young activists, some of whom he also met in London in August, Clegg is expected to say: "I know many of you are worried that the momentum for change in Egypt is being lost. So I want to make it crystal clear that the UK will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you as we work together to help Egypt complete this journey.
"The hopes and dreams that drove the revolution must be turned into a fair and plural politics, as well as a thriving economy that delivers opportunities for all."
Clegg will call for "a clear and credible timetable for transition" as well as the "lifting of the harsh and out-dated emergency law".
He will add that women's rights must be guaranteed and will emphasise that "all minorities must be given proper protections under the law".
"Anyone who wants more democracy and less extremism in the world must see that Egypt is the best place to start. Where you lead, others will follow, and the UK is with you every step of the way."