Egypt’s Minister of Social Solidarity, Maya Morsi, participated via video conference on Friday in a roundtable meeting with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to discuss bilateral cooperation on the Early Childhood Centres project.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister of Social Solidarity Margaret Sarofim, JICA First Vice-President Yuko Mitsui, and the Secretary-General of the Egyptian-Japanese Education Initiative (EJEP), Hani Helal, alongside ministry officials, JICA experts, and representatives from the Egyptian Embassy in Tokyo.
Morsi praised the strong partnership between Egypt and JICA, welcoming the outcomes of a recent visit to Japan by a ministry delegation led by Sarofim. The discussions focused heavily on completing the second phase of the Early Childhood Centres project.
The minister stressed Egypt’s commitment to learning from Japan’s expertise in early childhood development and elderly care, while adapting the models to suit local cultural needs. She added that early childhood care remains a top priority for President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
For her part, JICA First Vice-President Yuko Mitsui reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to supporting the project, highlighting the importance of collaboration among all partners to ensure its long-term sustainability.
Mitsui announced that JICA plans to send a delegation to Egypt this July to discuss the completion of the project’s second phase, which will run until August 2027. The delegation will also begin consultations on the third phase, scheduled to launch in August next year.
Sarofim reviewed the findings of the ministry delegation’s visit to Japan, which focused on Japanese methods for elderly integration, intergenerational communication, home-based nurseries, and professional training for early childhood educators.
She stated that the ministry looks forward to welcoming the JICA delegation next month to finalise the technical arrangements for the second phase, expressing pride in the successful cooperation between the two nations.
The meeting concluded with a discussion between the Ministry of Social Solidarity delegation and the JICA team regarding the project’s next immediate steps.
