Cairo: Mr. Basel Rahmi, CEO of the Project Development Authority, welcomed Mr. Yu Ebisawa, the resident representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Egypt, during his inaugural visit to the authority since assuming his position in 2025. The meeting focused on enhancing the existing partnership between the authority and JICA, particularly in providing specialized technical support for medium and small projects, with a concentration on productive and industrial undertakings.
According to State Information Service Egypt, the meeting was attended by Dr. Raafat Abbas, Deputy CEO of the authority, along with several leaders from both the authority and JICA. Basel Rahmi emphasized the continued collaboration with JICA to utilize its expertise in supporting productive and industrial projects. This cooperation aims to assist project owners in increasing and developing their production to meet international standards, thereby addressing local market needs and facilitating access to global markets. This initiative aligns with the state's objectives to reduce imports and decrease dollar spending.
Rahmi noted that the discussions with Mr. Yu Ebisawa included the activities of the technical cooperation project between the authority and JICA. This project aims to leverage Japanese expertise to enhance project competitiveness by providing various services for project development. Current efforts are focused on supporting the food industries sector in Minya Governorate and the plastics industry sector in Alexandria Governorate.
Additionally, discussions were held on expanding future cooperation to support small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly in the industrial sector, with an emphasis on feeder industries due to their crucial role in value chains. Mr. Ebisawa expressed his satisfaction with the productive cooperation with the authority, confirming JICA's readiness to continue and enhance this collaboration in the forthcoming period to contribute to project development and increase productivity.