Egyptian Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, began her visit to Tokyo on Tuesday by participating in the Egyptian-Japanese Business Forum, attended by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. The forum, which saw the signing of several cooperation agreements, was held ahead of Egypt's participation in the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), the ministry said in a statement. The Egyptian delegation to the TICAD summit, which runs from Aug. 20-22, is headed by Madbouly and will include other ministers and private sector representatives. The summit will be attended by the Japanese prime minister, as well as numerous African heads of state and government and heads of international and African organisations. During her visit, Al-Mashat is scheduled to hold a series of bilateral meetings with Japanese government officials and financial institutions to follow up on the development of strategic relations between the two countries. She will also present an overview of the developments in the Egyptian economy since the start of economic reform measures in March 2024. Additionally, Al-Mashat is set to meet with officials from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to review the implementation of ongoing projects within the development cooperation portfolio. The planning ministry's statement described TICAD 9 as one of the most important international platforms for strengthening strategic partnerships between Japan and Africa. Egypt's participation affirms its pivotal role in supporting African issues and enhancing international cooperation to achieve development goals, the ministry said. Ahead of the trip, Al-Mashat met with the Japanese ambassador to Egypt and the chief representative of JICA to follow up on preparations for the conference and discuss cooperation priorities.
