The signing was witnessed by Lee Myung-shin, Deputy Country Director of KOICA Egypt Office, and Engineer Essam El-Naggar, Chairman of GOEIC, along with Dr. Mai Hashem El-Nabi, Assistant Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade for Development Projects, International Relations, and Political Communication, and Dr. Iman Fakhry from the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation.
The project is expected to be implemented between 2025 and
2029. It will involve several components, including Building and operating a digital
system for risk-based inspection of non-food industrial goods at GOEIC (e-RBI),
building and operating a digital information management system for all GOEIC
laboratories (LIMS), and building and operating a digital tracking and tracing
system for industrial goods in the local market.
Lee Myung-shin, Deputy Country Director of KOICA Egypt
Office, emphasized the project's impact, stating, "I believe this project
will significantly enhance Egypt's trade facilitation capabilities, fostering
economic growth and sustainability. Our collaboration with the General
Organization for Export and Import Control marks a crucial step towards a more
efficient and competitive trade environment in Egypt."
Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic
Development, and International Cooperation, affirmed that this project builds
on her ministry's coordinating efforts with relevant parties. Its aim is to
maximize the impact of Korean grants, supporting Egypt's digital transformation
and fostering comprehensive, sustainable development. She emphasized that the digital
platform for risk-based inspection and traceability will bolster national
efforts to facilitate and develop trade through digitalization, enhancing
competitiveness by accelerating inspection and customs clearance, reducing
administrative hurdles, and ensuring compliance with international foreign
trade standards.
Engineer Hassan El-Khatib, Minister of Investment and
Foreign Trade, noted that this project aligns with Egypt's vision for port
governance. It aims to accelerate, simplify, and reduce the cost and time of
conformity assessment procedures at ports, ultimately cutting release times to
meet global standards. The initiative will also tighten controls on the trade
of low-quality goods and fulfill Egypt's international commitments under the World
Trade Organization's Trade Facilitation Agreement regarding integrated risk
management systems in cross-border trade.
Engineer Essam El-Naggar, Chairman of GOEIC, praised the
Korean government's support for implementing this project, which contributes to
activating a modern integrated system for controlling industrial goods imports
up to market monitoring, similar to what is applied in developed countries.
KOICA is a Korean government agency under the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, implementing grant aid programs to combat poverty and foster
sustainable socio-economic growth in developing countries.
Established in 1998, the KOICA Egypt office provides technical and technological education to youth, supports the digitization of government services and systems, and runs programs addressing gender-based violence, women's empowerment, and vulnerable groups.