Newsletter No. 678
News-Analysis
July 16, 2007

 

EGYPTIAN MINISTER SIGNS NEW AID AGREEMENTS WITH JAPAN

Ms. Fayza Abul-Naga, the Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, has been dealing with the new Japanese ambassador in Cairo, Kaoru Ishikawa, and several small developments have taken place recently. Unfortunately, the mainstream press once again had little or nothing to say about this, but MOFA did post some material on its Japanese-language website, and one person forwarded a story to me from the Arabic-language Middle East News Agency.

Photo: Egyptian Minister Fayza Abul-Naga
Source: EU-Egypt Council website

Abul-Naga has signed new agreements with the Japanese government on two specific projects.

One of them is the “Project for the Modernization of the Agricultural Mechanization Center in Damanhur,” signed on June 4th. The Japanese aid for this project is valued at about US$6.6 million, and is aimed at support for impoverished Egyptian farmers in this western Nile Delta region.

The second of the agreements was signed on July 8th and is Phase IV of the “Project for the Rehabilitation of Floating Pump Stations in Upper Egypt.” This aid is valued at about US$3.2 million. It will involve repair of four floating pump stations. Previous aid in Phases I, II and III involved Japanese aid to repair a total of 26 other pump stations.

In addition to these new aid projects, the recent report from the Middle East News Agencyh quotes Minister Fayza Abul-Naga as saying that the construction of the Egypt and Japan University for Science and Technology (E-JUST) has entered its final stages. A Japanese government mission to the site is therefore expected soon.

The report says that Egypt’s interest in the projects stems from it being “a means for upgrading university education and raising the level of scientific research in Egypt” and “help in transferring sophisticated Japanese technology to Egypt and neighboring countries.” The benefit to Japan is that it provides “a scientific and cultural foothold in Egypt, the Arab world and Africa.” We introduced the E-JUST proposal in Shingetsu Newsletter No. 606. It was a major topic when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Egypt at the beginning of May.

Finally, according to Minister Fayza Abul-Naga, “Egyptian-Japanese relations are on the rise.”