Kamel El-Wazir, Egypt's Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport met with Japanese Ambassador to Cairo Oka Hiroshi to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation in the fields of transport and industry. The meeting, held on Wednesday, also included Suzuki Yosuko, the Economic Counselor at the Japanese Embassy, Kato Ken, the Chief Representative of JICA Egypt Office, and leaders from Egypt's Ministries of Transport and Industry. El-Wazir emphasised the strong existing relationship between the two countries and expressed his desire to further increase cooperation in the transport and industrial sectors. "Egypt is witnessing significant development in various fields, including these two sectors," said Ambassador Hiroshi, acknowledging Japan's keen interest in expanding cooperation with Egypt. The ambassador commended the Nile corridor projects he witnessed during a recent visit to Upper Egypt. The minister explained that these projects, which are being implemented in accordance with directives issued by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in June 2014, aim to reduce the distances between Nile bridges to 25 kilometres. This effort seeks to facilitate development projects and new urban communities by establishing integrated transverse corridors linking the road networks on the east and west banks of the Nile. "These projects have facilitated the movement of citizens and goods, providing significant benefits to the public," said El-Wazir. The two sides also discussed ongoing cooperation between the Egyptian Ministry of Transport and Japan's JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) to train and qualify Egyptian engineers in urban transportation planning and design. This program aims to transfer this expertise to other Egyptian engineers, reflecting the Ministry of Transport's focus on requalifying, training, and educating its human resources. "Last year, 13 engineers were trained, and we expect to train 43 by the end of this year, out of a total of 100 engineers," El-Wazir stated. Turning to the industrial sector, El-Wazir highlighted the Egyptian government's strategic plan to advance Egyptian industry based on seven pillars, with a key objective being to transform Egypt into a regional industrial hub. The minister expressed interest in increasing cooperation with Japanese companies to localise various industries in sectors such as water pumps, green hydrogen, solar and wind energy, soda ash, elevators, home appliances, and automobiles. He also mentioned other industrial fields that meet the needs of the Egyptian market and have potential for exports. Ambassador Hiroshi reviewed a number of factories established by Japanese companies in Egypt, as well as those currently under construction. These include factories for electric harnesses and facilities for freezing and exporting agricultural products. He also noted the interest of several global Japanese companies in the automotive industry to establish car manufacturing plants in Egypt, a prospect welcomed by Minister El-Wazir. The meeting concluded with an agreement to intensify meetings between the Egyptian side and Japanese companies in the coming period to further enhance joint cooperation in the industrial sector. Both sides recognized Japan's global expertise in this vital field.
