Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Wednesday witnessed the signing of two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) between Egypt's Ministry of Education and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to enhance cooperation in technical education, special needs education, and teacher training. The signing took place on the sidelines of the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) in Yokohama, which Madbouly is attending on behalf of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. The ceremony was attended by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, who met with the prime minister earlier in the day. The first MoU, signed by Egyptian Minister of Education Mohamed Abdel Latif and Masahiko Sakamoto, director-general of the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education, covers teacher training and qualification programmes, support for people with special needs through an international centre in Egypt's 10th of Ramadan City, and the exchange of expertise in general education. The second agreement, signed by Abdel Latif and an official from Tokyo's Advanced Institute of Vocational Training, aims to expand applied technology schools in Egypt, particularly in agriculture, and to benefit from the latest teaching methods in technical education. Following the signing, Minister Abdel Latif said the MoUs are part of the strong partnership between Egypt and Japan in developing education, noting that the Japanese experience in Egyptian-Japanese schools represents a distinguished model of discipline and quality. Earlier, Madbouly met with Tokyo Governor Koike to discuss bilateral cooperation. The prime minister expressed Egypt's desire to benefit from Japan's expertise in education and increase the number of Japanese schools in Egypt, praising their high level of efficiency. He also commended the cooperation in higher education through the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology and invited Japanese students to study in Egypt to enhance student exchange programmes. Madbouly also discussed potential cooperation in developing Egypt's transport sector and invited the governor to the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which was built with Japanese cooperation. For her part, Governor Koike praised the remarkable development in Egyptian-Japanese relations and expressed her desire to support ties in various fields, especially education and entrepreneurship. She noted Egypt's strategic location as a gateway to the Arab region and the African continent, which enhances opportunities for joint cooperation.
