Egypt's Suez Canal Authority's (SCA) chairman Osama Rabie met with Ambassador of Côte d'Ivoire to Egypt Albert G. Dole to explore bilateral cooperation in port development and maritime training, the Cabinet reported. Rabie affirmed the SCA's commitment to supporting development projects across Africa, particularly in the areas of seaport development and training. He highlighted the authority's integrated system of maritime and navigation services, backed by a robust industrial base through its subsidiaries and shipyards. He pointed to the success of SCA Ports Company—a subsidiary of SCA—in revitalising Libya's Sirte Port and reopening it to maritime traffic after a 14-year hiatus, according to the Cabinet's statement. Rabie expressed readiness to begin cooperation with Côte d'Ivoire, particularly in the development of Abidjan Port, the largest commercial port in West Africa. He said the project would enhance overall trade flows through the port and strengthen bilateral trade between Egypt and Côte d'Ivoire, in light of their strategic relations. He also noted the SCA's preparedness to offer advanced training programmes for Ivorian technical staff, captains, and sailors through its Maritime Training and Simulation Academy, the largest in the Middle East. Rabie reaffirmed SCA's commitment to facilitating its overseas projects, ensuring international quality, competitive pricing, and timely execution. He added ongoing discussions with several African countries for similar cooperation. Ambassador Dole expressed appreciation for the SCA's longstanding maritime expertise and regional significance in managing one of the world's most critical shipping routes, the report added. He said Côte d'Ivoire has a 760-kilometre-long coastline and is pursuing large-scale port development projects to expand capacity, facilitate trade, and boost exports—especially of cocoa, cashew, and pineapples. He underscored Côte d'Ivoire's interest in leveraging Egypt's experience in dredging, port infrastructure, berth construction, and maritime training to meet its development goals, as stated in the release. Both sides agreed to establish a joint working group to study the proposed Abidjan Port development project, with findings to be presented to the Ivorian Ministry of Transport before agreeing on next steps. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
