Minister of Planning and Economic Development meets with the Japanese ambassador in Egypt to discuss ways to enhance cooperation

H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, met with Mr. Oka Hiroshi, Ambassador of Japan and the new Commissioner of Japan in Egypt to enhance cooperation between the two countries.
 The meeting was attended by Mr. Owada Ayomo, Second Secretary of the Economic Section of the Embassy of Japan, Dr. Sherifa Sherif, Executive Director of the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, Kamal Nasr, Assistant Minister of Planning and Economic Development for Technical Office Affairs, and Ambassador Hazem Khairat, Director of the International Cooperation Office at the Ministry.
At the outset of the meeting, El-Said welcomed the Japanese ambassador during his first visit to the ministry. She offered condolences for the death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and expressed her appreciation for the Egyptian-Japanese relations based on solid foundations and a growing and deepening partnership.

 El-Said indicated that the volume of trade exchange between Egypt and Japan increased in 2021 to $1.5 billion, an increase of 13%.
El-Said added that last year, Egyptian exports to Japan recorded $327 million, an increase of about 7% over the year 2020.
El-Said referred to the support provided by Japan to Egypt in many activities, infrastructure, and transport projects, pointing to the establishment of Line 4 in the Cairo Metro and Burj Al Arab Airport, in addition to the support provided in the establishment of the Grand Egyptian Museum.
 El-Said expressed the progress made by the State of Japan in various fields, especially economic development, and sustainable development measures concerning the current global crises and challenges.
El-Said also discussed the cooperation between the two countries in the field of education and culture through the Educational Partnership Program (EJEP) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

El-Said added that the Ministry of Finance recently launched the first Egyptian bonds in the Japanese capital markets at a value of 60 billion yen, or about half a billion dollars.

El-Said added that the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development has successfully launched a field survey of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on small, medium, and micro enterprises, in cooperation with Japan.
El-Said reviewed the Egyptian experience in several areas, including economic growth, noting that the Egyptian economy grew by 6.2% during the fiscal year 2021-2022, which reflected stronger economic activity than expected in the first nine months of the fiscal year.

 She added that the Egyptian economy witnessed a growth of about 8% between July 2021 and March 2022.
She further noted that the Egyptian economy witnessed an increase of 9.8% in the first quarter, 8.3% in the second quarter, and 5.4% in the third quarter, following up on the economic and social development plan for the new fiscal year 2022/2023.
El-Said added that the plan showed that the positive indicators in the field of health included a decrease in the mortality rates of infants, children under the age of five, and mothers, and a decrease in the prevalence of some diseases.


El-Said talked about the Sovereign Fund of Egypt and the Decent Life initiative, which aims to transform more than 4,500 Egyptian villages into sustainable rural communities.



El-Said also referred to the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, which works to develop government administration and raise its efficiency through continuous training, raising the level of technological mechanisms, supporting the implementation of Egypt's Vision 2030, developing national cadres, and building employee capacity.
 The attendees discussed several proposals for cooperation, including expanding the current partnership between the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development and Japanese entities such as the GRIPS Institute and | JICA and benefiting from the mechanism of expert exchange and field visits in the areas of governance, public administration, innovation, program balancing, performance, transparency in the public budget, and the development of government relations.


The meeting also highlighted the possibilities of including Japanese expertise within the Dignified Life initiative. For his part, the Japanese ambassador praised the depth of Egyptian-Japanese relations and his country's interest in developing relations with Egypt in all fields.

 The Japanese ambassador expressed his appreciation for the presidential initiative, a decent life, and the developmental impact it will have on Egyptian society.