The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA) held the third Joint Coordination Committee meeting for the Japanese Technical Cooperation Project, attended by Ibisua Yu, Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Egypt; Takaki Yamamoto, First Secretary at the Japanese Embassy; the JICA project team; agency representatives; and a number of Japanese experts. The meeting reviewed the results of the project's second phase and the cooperation mechanisms applied during this stage with business development service providers supporting the plastics and food industries. Participants highlighted the technical role of these providers and the importance of strengthening linkages between them and enterprise owners. Discussions also addressed the continuation of cooperation with JICA, with the aim of increasing the number of benefiting enterprises. Both sides stressed that supporting industrial companies, preparing them for export, and enhancing the participation of local business development service providers remains a top priority. These efforts fall within the framework of the joint technical cooperation agreement between MSMEDA and JICA to improve the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises through business development services. Bassil Rahmy, CEO of MSMEDA, emphasised the depth of the agency's partnership with JICA as a key collaborator in development programmes, particularly those focused on enhancing productivity and quality within enterprises. He underscored the importance of knowledge exchange, the transfer of international expertise, and the implementation of joint initiatives to support and advance the small enterprise sector in Egypt. Rahmy and Ibisua Yu expressed their satisfaction with the results of the second phase of the cooperation project, through which business development services were provided—by both Japanese and Egyptian experts—to enterprises at the Merghem 1 and 2 Plastic Industrial Complexes in Alexandria, as well as to food manufacturing businesses in Minya. Rahmy reiterated the importance of working with international partners to provide enterprise owners with the support needed to boost productivity and enhance competitiveness. He praised the role of JICA and the joint project team of Japanese and Egyptian experts, noting their significant positive impact on the outcomes of the technical cooperation project.
