Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation Rania al-Mashat met with the new South Korean ambassador in Cairo Hong Jin-wook on Saturday to talk on expanding technological university projects in Egypt and future areas of cooperation between Egypt and South Korea.
In a Saturday statement the ministry said that Mashat warmly welcomed the South Korean ambassador and expressed her desire to deepen cooperation between both nations – especially economically.
Understanding the importance of education as a factor of cooperation between both nations, Mashat discussed expanding the development of technological universities in light of the growing utilization of technology for businesses and the labor force, and the potential it can provide to grant more economic power to Egyptian women.
She also heaped praise on South Korea’s government for supporting Egypt in its battle against COVID-19, through grants and shipments of medical supplies and protective equipment.
Mashat explained that her ministry seeks to strengthen ties through various economic diplomacy principles.
These include regularly organizing multi-stakeholder platforms to ensure that all projects are streamlined and effectively coordinated; adopting a consistent Global Partnerships Narrative for People & Projects & Purpose (P&P&P); and mapping ODA financing to #SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) for all projects.
The talks also touched on cooperation to further women’s empowerment, particularly under the COVID-19 pandemic.
She referred to initiatives such as the Gender Gap Accelerator, launched by the Ministry of International Cooperation in cooperation with the World Economic Forum and the National Council for Women, which serves as a platform for collaboration between the government and civil society.
Egypt was the first country to issue a tracker regarding how COVID-19 policy responses address the situation of women under the pandemic, the minister added.
Mashat also highlighted ongoing projects such as the establishment of the Beni Suef Technological University, funded by a grant of 5.8 million dollars from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOIKA)
This university is considered as a model for cooperation in education, she said, as it seeks not only to grant youth the knowledge and skills they need to meet future market demands, but also to attract investments that will help develop the local economy.
Jin-wook said he was deeply interested in developing stronger bonds with Egypt’s government, and added that Korea is eager to transfer its expertise and technical knowledge to provide quality education.
The cooperation portfolio between Egypt and South Korea amounts to $458 million, of which $390 million are loans and roughly $68 million are non-refundable grants in several sectors, most importantly transportation.
Mashat’s meeting with Jin-wook was attended by the Advisor on Economic Affairs at the Korean Embassy Kun Yongmin, and the Director of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOIKA) Oh Yeon Keum.
