Lt. Gen. Eng. Kamel Al-Wazir:
• The Korean government plays a pivotal role in preparing trained and qualified technical cadres in Egypt for electric car maintenance following their spread in the Egyptian market.
• The project must provide simulation systems to be used in practical training, as well as equipment for repairing electric car batteries.
• We call on Korean investors to inject new investments in Egypt in the field of car manufacturing and components, especially tires and glass, to meet the needs of the local market and for export to foreign markets.
H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat:
• The shift towards higher productivity sectors with added value is a main goal of the government within the national narrative for economic development.
• The new partnership with Korea comes within the framework of a broader state vision to encourage technical education, vocational training, and increased productivity.
• Egyptian-Korean relations include the fields of trade and investment, and we are keen to expand cooperation to include additional sectors.
Lt. Gen. Eng. Kamel Al-Wazir, Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, representing the Egyptian government, and H.E. Kim Young-hyun, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Cairo, regarding the project for developing green (environmentally friendly) car maintenance technology in four centers of the Productivity and Vocational Training Department of the Ministry of Industry. The project is funded with a grant worth $10 million from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The signing ceremony was attended by Major General Eng. Ihab Ramadan, Chairman of the PVTD.
The MoU aims to develop vocational training centers for car maintenance in Shubra, Imbaba, Moharram Bey in Alexandria, and Kafr El-Zayat, in order to ensure the sustainability of the objectives for which these centers were established, namely the graduation of skilled technical workers capable of meeting the needs of the labor market. The cooperation includes upgrading existing equipment according to the latest developments in traditional car maintenance, developing curricula for automotive maintenance and body repair and painting, and introducing environmentally friendly automotive professions (electric cars – hybrid cars – natural gas cars), along with the provision of tools, equipment, simulators, and diagnostic devices. It also includes enhancing the efficiency of trainers and administrators in these centers through two phases of training, the first in South Korea and the second inside the training centers after the installation and operation of the equipment received from Korea. In addition, Korean volunteers will be dispatched to many vocational training centers to contribute to the implementation of activities with students and to introduce new activities for them inside the centers. The project will last for five years and conclude in 2030.
During the signing ceremony, the Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry expressed thanks and appreciation to the Korean government for its assistance to Egypt in preparing trained and qualified technical cadres using advanced Korean methods and technologies, especially in the field of environmentally friendly cars. He noted that the Korean government had already begun developing these four PVTD training centers in earlier phases of the project, bringing them to an advanced level in training technicians for fossil-fuel cars. He added that the new MoU, which introduces the field of environmentally friendly cars into the work of the four centers and continues their development, will play an important role in keeping pace with global trends in the automotive sector, particularly as electric cars have become widespread in the Egyptian market, meeting local needs for their maintenance and operation.
The Minister stressed the need for the project to provide simulation systems to be used in practical training, in addition to equipment for repairing electric car batteries as the most important component of the vehicle. He confirmed the readiness of the Ministry of Industry to provide any support to the Korean government in implementing this project.
He also called on the Korean government to encourage Korean investors to inject new investments in Egypt in the field of car manufacturing and components, especially tires and glass, to meet the needs of the local market and foreign markets, capitalizing on Egypt’s large consumer base.
For her part, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, affirmed that this project comes as a continuation of the coordinating efforts undertaken by the ministry with all concerned parties to enhance the use of Korean grant resources in supporting the priorities of different state sectors, especially education and vocational training. This is achieved through developing green car maintenance technology in vocational training centers in Egypt, with the aim of establishing a master plan for vocational training centers in Cairo, Giza, Gharbia, and Alexandria, as well as developing training curricula, building the capacities of managers and trainers, and providing modern equipment to training centers. The project will also establish a system of cooperation between the centers and relevant industrial partners to ensure that training programs are aligned with the evolving needs of industry in the long term.
She explained that these efforts come within the framework of a broader state vision and the national economic development narrative, through which the government seeks to shift towards a productive economic model based on higher value-added sectors, contributing to the localization of industry, increasing foreign direct investment, strengthening the efficiency and flexibility of the labor market, and localizing economic development.
H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat emphasized the depth of Egyptian-Korean relations, considering Korea one of Egypt’s main partners in Asia. She noted that cooperation between the two countries is a unique model of impactful partnerships through the implementation of pioneering projects in Egypt. She added that relations are not limited to development cooperation, but also extend to trade, investment, and other fields, with many Korean companies already investing in Egypt in sectors such as technology, communications, and electronics. She affirmed that the government is keen to promote further cooperation with Korea and to provide full support to Korean investments in Egypt.
For his part, H.E. Kim Young-hyun, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Cairo, said that this new project agreement coincides with three decades of friendship with Egypt. He noted that this initiative will empower youth and support a sustainable future in the automotive sector by focusing on advanced technologies such as electric vehicles and compressed natural gas engines. “We are preparing our youth for the jobs of tomorrow,” he said, stressing that this cooperation reflects the two countries’ shared vision for a green economy and demonstrates their joint commitment to innovation and skills development in Egypt. He added that this will help build a workforce that is not only competitive, but also aligned with global sustainability trends.
It is worth mentioning that this project is a continuation of previous work initiated by the Korean government, represented by KOICA, to develop four vocational training centers specializing in automotive professions (car maintenance – body repair and painting). Development took place in three stages: the establishment and development of the Shubra Automotive Training Center between 1998 and 2001; the establishment and development of the Imbaba and Moharram Bey centers in Alexandria between 2005 and 2007; and the establishment and development of the Kafr El-Zayat center, the creation of a “Train-the-Trainers” department in Shubra, and the modernization of equipment in Shubra, Imbaba, and Moharram Bey between 2008 and 2011.