Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli held a meeting yesterday with President of the Korea International Co-operation Agency (KOICA), Chang Won Sam and his accompanying delegation.
Madbouli voiced his appreciation for Chang’s visit, who is the first chairman of KOICA to visit Egypt since 2009, highlighting the desire to strengthen bilateral relations in both political and economic areas.
The prime minister said that South Korea is one of Egypt’s distinguished partners in Asia, noting that co-operation between the two countries is a unique example of successful partnerships, with many pioneering projects being implemented across the country.
These projects align with Egypt’s developmental goals to achieve sustainable development.
Madbouli expressed his gratitude for Egypt being selected as one of the five priority partners in the Republic of Korea’s official development assistance programme, stressing that this reflects the importance of their shared commitment to sustainable development.
The prime minister said that Egypt is looking forward to expanding co-operation with South Korea in all priority development areas. He also highlighted KOICA’s portfolio in Egypt, hitting roughly $100 million, with the chief aim of supporting development projects in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Co-operation.
For his part, Chang highlighted that his visit to Egypt is aimed at assessing the projects in which KOICA is collaborating with Egypt, as well as consulting with Egyptian officials on means to boost co-operation in several important fields.
He commended Egypt’s developmental experience, noting that the country has successfully overcome the global economic challenges over the past few years, while also playing an important role in regional and continental issues.
Chang said he expects Egypt to be one of the supporters for KOICA’s development vision in Africa.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Madbouli has witnessed the signing ceremony of the exchange of letters between the Ministry of Higher Education and South Korea to enhance educational capabilities at Beni Suef Technological University (BSTU).
According to the exchanged letters, South Korea will be offering a grant worth 8 million dollars to help link the BSTU to the industry, the second phase of a broader project to connect education with the labour market in Egypt.
Putting their signatures to the letters yesterday were Planning Minister Rania al-Mashat and South Korean Ambassador to Cairo Kim Yonghyon.
Mashat said the new agreement is part of efforts to upgrade technological education in Egypt and link it to the industry in a way that would contribute to achieving sustainable development and creating promising jobs for youth.
Technological education is a major pillar for economic and social development, she noted.
The deal aims to achieve sustainable operation of the BSTU through medium and long-term plans and in line with international standards of excellence, Mashat said.
