The Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation has issued a report outlining the development of Egypt-Japan relations in the context of development cooperation, in light of the ongoing progress between the two countries. This comes as part of the Ministry's efforts to drive sustainable economic growth and integrate domestic and foreign financing to support the country's development vision.
The Ministry stated that the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Egypt-Japan development cooperation highlights the strength and sustainability of the international partnerships Japan has established, based on mutual respect and a shared vision for achieving sustainable development. The occasion also serves as a reminder of Egypt and Japan's joint commitment to working together to ensure a better future for generations to come.
Beginning of Joint Relations
The Ministry's report noted that Egypt and Japan share a distinguished friendship, with Japan being one of Egypt's most important Asian development partners. Japan currently supports approximately 18 development projects that align with Egypt's government’s efforts to achieve sustainable development goals. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the launch of bilateral cooperation between the two countries, which began with technical cooperation programs in 1954, followed by grants in 1973 and concessional financing in 1974. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) office was established in Egypt in 1977 to oversee cooperation between the two nations.
Elevation of Relations
The report further stated that Egypt-Japan relations have flourished after high-level visits exchanged over the past few years. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has visited Japan three times in the past four years, while former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited Egypt on April 30, 2023. During this visit, the two leaders agreed to elevate the bilateral relationship to a "Strategic Partnership," focusing on priority areas such as "investing in people" through education and healthcare, and "sustainable growth" through green transformation and infrastructure development.
Shared Cooperation Portfolio
The report addressed key areas reflecting the strengthening of economic and cultural exchanges between Egypt and Japan: sustainable social and economic development, green transformation and renewable energy, education and human capital development, inclusive growth, social integration, resilience, infrastructure development, private sector engagement, and technical cooperation projects aimed at capacity building, enhancing vocational education, and developing small and medium-sized enterprises.
The Ministry's report reviewed the total value of Japanese grants and technical cooperation programs since the start of bilateral relations, which has reached $2.4 billion, while concessional financing to Egypt has amounted to approximately $7.2 billion. These funds have been allocated to various sectors, including renewable energy, electricity, transport, aviation, antiquities, irrigation, education, healthcare, and budget support.
The report also outlined the main strategic objectives of Japanese cooperation, which align with Egypt’s sustainable development agenda. These include supporting sustainable economic growth, promoting social inclusion, enhancing education and human resource development, regional cooperation, and renewable energy—an area in which Japan holds a comparative advantage, possessing advanced technologies.
The report highlighted the Egyptian-Japanese cooperation portfolio, which includes several development projects benefiting the transport, antiquities, healthcare, education, and higher and vocational education sectors. Notable projects include the first phase of Cairo Metro Line 4, the Grand Egyptian Museum, the Egyptian-Japanese Schools, the construction of outpatient clinics at the Abu El-Reesh University Children's Hospital, the development of Borg El Arab Airport, the New Dairout Barrage, and the Comprehensive Health Insurance Project.
Role of the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation
The report emphasized the Ministry’s coordinating role in enhancing the Egyptian-Japanese partnership through economic diplomacy. It noted the holding of an annual high-level policy dialogue between Egypt and Japan to discuss future cooperation proposals, technical collaboration, and alignment with Egypt’s development goals and Vision 2030. This is part of the Ministry's efforts to coordinate between government entities and multilateral and bilateral development partners.
Education and Human Capital Development
Regarding the education and human resources sector, the report highlighted that most ongoing Japanese projects focus on human resource development and training, which is a key component of every project to ensure the sustainability of its outcomes. Additionally, a concessional loan of $89 million is being used to fund the “Human Resource Development in Education and Healthcare” project, aiming to send 1,505 students and researchers over five years for training and postgraduate degrees in various academic fields.
The report also discussed the "Egypt-Japan Education Partnership" program, which aims to establish 100 Egyptian-Japanese schools that apply the "Tokkatsu" system. To date, 51 schools have been opened, and 30 additional schools have been selected in the "Hayah Karima" initiative areas to implement the "Tokkatsu" system, improving educational services, facilities, and teacher training in line with the objectives of the "Hayah Karima" initiative.
Notable Joint Projects
The report concluded by noting the key pioneering projects under the Egypt-Japan partnership, including the Grand Egyptian Museum, vocational education support through the "Egypt-Japan EJ-KOSEN" project between the Ministry of Higher Education and JICA, the Egyptian-Japanese University, the development of the Abu El-Reesh Children’s Hospital, the construction of the Dairout Barrage, the first and second phases of Cairo Metro Line 4, and the modernization and expansion of Borg El Arab International Airport.