The Minister of Investment and International Cooperation (MIIC), Sahar Nasr, met with representatives of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on Sunday, in the presence of the Japanese ambassador to Egypt, Masaki Noke. Both parties discussed the joint cooperation in various sectors, according to a source who attended the meeting, adding that the discussions delved into new cooperation projects which will be announced in due course. Earlier on 30 May, Egypt and Japan signed a grant agreement of EGP 7.5m to support the Egyptian education reform project and Egyptian-Japanese schools. The agreement stipulates that the Japanese school management unit will qualify technical cadres to follow-up on the implementation of the Tokkatsu education system in Egypt, and prepare plans to expand the activities of the Egyptian-Japanese schools.
The agreement is part of the Egyptian-Japanese cooperation to support the educational process and investment in human resources, which reached $282m, including $169m for Egyptian-Japanese schools. Cooperation with Egypt is huge including education, antiquities, and energy among others, the ambassador pointed out, noting that the Grand Egyptian Museum is a substantial project that will be opened next year to restore Egyptian antiquities.
Japan is keen on enhancing the framework of joint economic cooperation with Egypt to take it to more developed levels as the main country in the Middle East and Africa, the Japanese ambassador said in a previous report in May.
Japanese companies are interested in investing in five sectors in the Egyptian market, including education, health, energy, water, and industry, the ambassador added, noting that they have a desire to establish major projects in the Egyptian market.
The volume of trade exchange between Egypt and Japan increased by 30.5% last year to about $1.26bn, compared to $969m in 2017, said the Minister of Industry and Trade, Amr Nassar, in a previous statement.
