Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation Receives New Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to Discuss Future Partnership Plans

Al-Mashat thanks Mr. Kato Ken for his role in strengthening the Egyptian-Japanese partnership during his tenure leading the JICA office in Egypt

 

H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, held a bilateral meeting with Mr. Ebisawa Yu, the new Head Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) office in Egypt, in the presence of Mr. Kato Ken, former representative of the JICA office in Egypt, to discuss ways to enhance future cooperation.

 

At the beginning of the meeting, the Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation thanked Mr. Kato Kin for his distinguished leadership and significant contributions during his tenure at JICA office in Egypt, which witnessed important achievements in many sectors, which strengthened cooperation between Egypt and Japan. She also congratulated Mr. Ebisawa Yu on his new position, wishing him success in his duties and expressing confidence in his ability to strengthen the partnership between the two countries and elevate joint cooperation to new horizons.

 

H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat emphasized the strong relationship between Egypt and Japan in various development fields, whether through bilateral or multilateral cooperation, noting the government's keenness to move forward towards strengthening relations and taking them to broader horizons to meet development priorities.

 

H.E. highlighted the achievements made in several areas and the progress in key projects in vital sectors such as education, transportation and health, which reflect the strong cooperation between Egypt and Japan.

 

Al-Mashat praised Mr. Kato Ken's role in supporting major projects over the past three years, which resulted in significant achievements such as financing for universal health coverage, new funding for the fourth phase of the Cairo Metro, development grant for the Egyptian Opera House, a program to support the economic and social development of the Ministry of Agriculture, including equipment upgrades, as well as JICA's support for the private sector in Egypt.

 

H.E. emphasized that during the long-standing cooperation between the two countries, Egypt and Japan have launched and implemented pioneering projects with lasting impact, including the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST), the Universal Health Insurance project, the construction of the Cairo University Children's Specialized Hospital Annex (Abu El Reesh), and the first phase of the fourth line of the Cairo Metro.

 

The Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation explained that another priority in the Egyptian-Japanese partnership is empowering the private sector by providing more financing mechanisms for companies, in addition to investing in localizing industry, developing human capital, and supporting digital entrepreneurship and scientific research applications. Moreover, Japanese institutions are actively involved in financing private sector companies, especially in the energy sector under the "NWFE" program, such as the 500 MW solar power plant in Kom Ombo, Aswan, and the onshore wind farm project in Ras Ghareb.

 

H.E. expressed her aspiration to enhance future cooperation between the two countries, represented in the joint announcement of the "Egypt-Japan Cooperation Strategy" and the publication of a comprehensive report on cooperation between the two countries during the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), in addition to financing the fourth batch of the fourth line of the Cairo Metro (Phase I), emphasizing the importance of ongoing collaboration between JICA and Egyptian ministries to leverage Japanese expertise in artificial intelligence to support skill development, enhance economic integration, and modernize infrastructure.

 

At the end of the meeting, H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat reaffirmed Egypt's deep appreciation for Japan's continued support, which has played a crucial role in promoting sustainable development and consolidating a strong partnership based on mutual respect and shared ambitions, confirming Egypt's commitment to expand cooperation with Japan to ensure that this partnership continues to grow and devolve in line with the priorities of both countries.