Korea Chooses Egypt as ODA Priority Partner Country

On Wednesday, Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat met with Korean Ambassador to Egypt, Hong Jin-wook.

The two officials exchanged opinions on the Republic of Korea's (ROK) recent decision to add Egypt to the list of ODA priority partner countries and the ways to expand and promote systematic development cooperation through ODA country partnership strategy (CPS), which will be drawn up in the coming months.

Ambassador Hong informed that the Korean Government designated Egypt as an ODA priority partner country during the year 2021-2025, expressing his expectation for the massive expansion of the development cooperation between the two countries.

He explained that Egypt is a country of great potential with young capable manpower and is already a strategic hub for the Korean business entities in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, which is why Korea designated Egypt as the only ODA priority partner country in the Middle East and North Africa.

Ambassador Hong expressed his hope that this would contribute to the successful implementation of President El Sisi’s structural reforms across the economy and society.

On the other hand, Minister Al-Mashat expressed her appreciation for ROK's continued cooperation and shared her hopes that the field of partnership will be expanded focused on Korea's strengths such as cutting edge technology, sustainable economic growth model, and human resource development.

Ambassador Hong, agreeing with the Minister, requested her full support for Korea’s preparation of the ODA country partnership strategy (CPS), as a guideline for bilateral development cooperation in line with Egypt’s national development strategy.

Furthermore, Ambassador Hong and Minister Al-Mashat reviewed the status of ongoing ODA grants, worth $2.7 million including $1.9 million for newly implemented projects in 2021, including the master plan for the modernization of urban transportation in Alexandria and waste management in Greater Cairo project.

They also agreed to organize regular working-level consultations to explore new projects in persified fields and possible adaptation of framework agreement between the ministry of international cooperation and the ROK embassy.