Dr. Al-Mashat congratulated Mitsui on her appointment as
Senior Vice President of JICA in October 2025. She wished her a successful and
productive term that would achieve further progress in Egyptian-Japanese
cooperation.
She highlighted Egypt’s recent launch of the “National
Narrative for Economic Development.” The initiative integrates Vision 2030, the
government’s program, and sectoral strategies. Its goal is to accelerate the
transformation of Egypt’s economy toward productive sectors. The minister noted
that the government continues to implement economic and structural reforms to
enhance the competitiveness of the Egyptian economy.
Al-Mashat expressed Egypt’s appreciation to JICA and the
Japanese government for their pivotal role in supporting, funding, and implementing
the Grand Egyptian Museum project. She described the museum as one of the
region’s most prominent cultural projects. It is the largest museum in the
world dedicated to a single civilization and one of the largest development
assistance projects in cultural heritage in Africa and the Middle East. The
project serves as a global model for preserving culture and history.
She noted the establishment of the Restoration Center at the
Grand Egyptian Museum in cooperation with JICA. The center has become a
regional hub of excellence for cultural heritage preservation and antiquities
conservation. It combines extensive Egyptian expertise with Japanese innovation
in restoration and preservation.
Dr. Al-Mashat emphasized the fruitful partnership with JICA
over the past seventy years. The cooperation has diversified across multiple
sectors in line with Egypt’s development priorities. This is reflected in a
portfolio of $2.4 billion in technical and technological assistance, along with
concessional financing for various projects. She referred to the joint report
launched during the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development
(TICAD 9), which highlights seventy years of productive cooperation and
showcases achievements and joint projects over this period.
The minister expressed Egypt’s deep appreciation for Japan’s
humanitarian support to the Palestinian people in Gaza. She highlighted Japan’s
recent contributions to essential relief efforts and urgent humanitarian needs.
Dr. Al-Mashat reaffirmed Egypt’s ongoing role in facilitating the delivery of
aid to Gaza, ensuring a regular and continuous flow of food, medical supplies,
and logistical support.
The two sides discussed pioneering projects between Egypt
and Japan. Educational partnership forms the cornerstone of modernizing and
developing Egypt’s education system. Japanese educational activities and
methodologies are being integrated into Egyptian schools. Some technical
institutes have adopted the Japanese vocational education model to enhance
students’ technical and vocational skills.
The meeting also covered future cooperation in developing
smart transportation networks and the metro system. JICA’s role in providing
concessional financing to the private sector was discussed, particularly in
supporting projects under the national platform of the “NWFE” program.
Opportunities for future collaboration were highlighted in
key areas, including human capital development, private sector support,
regional connectivity and infrastructure, healthcare facilities, digital
transformation, and cultural heritage preservation. The Egyptian government, in
cooperation with Japan, aims to leverage artificial intelligence to build a
strong, future-ready system that contributes to comprehensive national
development.