The Korea International Co-operation Agency (KOICA), South Korea’s official development aid agency, held yesterday a high-level ceremony on the E-Procurement System in Egypt, in co-operation with the Egyptian Ministry of Finance, and General Authority for Government Services (GAGS). The ceremony was attended by Egypt’s Minister of Finance Ahmed Kouchouk, KOICA President Won Sam Chang, South Korean Ambassador to Egypt Kim Yong-Hyun, and Chairperson of GAGS Mohamed Adel.
It is part of the activities that are carried out through the “The Enhancement of Public e-procurement in Egypt” project with funding of $7.9m. The project was announced officially during the bilateral summit between former President of South Korea Moon Jae-in and President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in January 2022. The project period is six years.The event intends to promote the Egyptian government’s policy on e-procurement among key user ministries, public entities, and relevant industries.
“This project represents a significant leap toward enhancing transparency, efficiency, and accountability in public procurement processes,” Ambassador of South Korea to Egypt Kim Yong-Hyon said.
“By adopting advanced digital solutions, we can streamline operations and open avenues for greater participation from the private sector, which is vital for economic growth,” he added. For his part, KOICA’s president Won Sam Chang said: “Today (Thursday), I would like to highlight the importance of KOICA’s partnership with Egypt, Korea’s only priority partner in development co-operation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region”.
“This project is a testament to the strong ties biding Korea and Egypt. It is a shining example of the power of collaboration to drive sustainable development and our mutual commitment to enhancing public service through innovative solutions.“KOICA will do its utmost to share Korea’s experiences and best practices in e-procurement, to ensure the successful implementation of this system,” Chang added. Meanwhile, Egyptian Minister of Finance Ahmed Kouchouk highly appreciated the co-operation with Korea in establishing an integrated system for public procurement and praised the Korean experts’ contribution to the project with the competent authorities in Egypt.Kouchouk affirmed that the ministry is steadily updating government work practices, in line with the State’s digital transformation strategy.
Participants of the event welcomed the upcoming e-procurement system that would be expected to reduce cost and time, increase administrative efficiency, and execute the government budget transparently.
KOICA is a Korean government agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dedicated to implementing grant aid programmes designed to combat poverty and support sustainable socio-economic growth in developing countries worldwide.
The KOICA Egypt Office, established in 1998, provides technical education for the Egyptian youth, supports the digitalization of government services, and carries out programmes to address gender-based violence, strengthen women’s empowerment, and support vulnerable groups.
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