Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Egyptians Abroad, attended the opening session of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) ministerial meeting in Tokyo on Saturday. The meeting brought together foreign ministers from African Union countries, the Japanese Foreign Minister, and representatives of the United Nations, the African Union Commission, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, the private sector, and Japanese civil society organizations.
The meeting aimed to pave the way
for the ninth TICAD summit, scheduled for August 2025 in Yokohama, Japan, under
the theme 'Partnering for Innovative Solutions with Africa.'
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson
Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid announced that Dr. Abdelatty has participated as a
keynote speaker in the second session of the TICAD ministerial meeting, titled
'Peace and Stability: Ensuring Human Dignity and Security.'
Ambassador Abu Zeid added that
the Minister emphasized Egypt's strong support for post-conflict reconstruction
and development efforts in Africa. This commitment aligns with Egypt's current chairmanship
of the Steering Committee of the Heads of State and Government of the African
Union Development Agency (NEPAD). The Minister further stressed the importance
of strengthening the link between peace and development, highlighting it as the
most effective strategy to prevent conflicts and build sustainable peace.
On the sidelines of his visit to
Japan, the Foreign Minister also held a bilateral meeting with Norihiko
Ishiguro, Executive Director of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)."
Abu Zeid announced that Foreign
Minister commended the ongoing cooperation between Egypt and JETRO, expressing
Egypt's strong desire to further strengthen this partnership in various areas
of mutual interest. Egypt is keen to learn from Japan's expertise in numerous
fields, including information technology, supporting small and medium-sized
enterprises, and renewable energy. He emphasized Egypt's successful economic
reforms, which have enabled the country to adapt to economic challenges and
enhance its competitiveness.
During the meeting, the Minister
outlined Egypt's recent economic achievements, including increased private
sector empowerment, progress in the green transition, and successful attraction
of foreign direct investment. He also promoted Egypt as a strategic regional
hub for European supply chains and a leader in renewable and green energy
transfer and trade.
The executive director of JETRO
expressed his appreciation for the longstanding partnership between Japan and
Egypt. He reaffirmed JETRO's commitment to encouraging Japanese companies to
invest more in Egypt and to strengthen economic and trade ties between the two
countries, especially in light of Egypt's recent economic reforms.
Dr. Abdelatty welcomed the second
exploratory visit organized by JETRO to Egypt next month. This visit will bring
a group of Japanese companies operating in the renewable energy and hydrogen
sectors to explore investment opportunities in green hydrogen and renewable
energy.
JETRO's decision to organize a second visit within a year demonstrates Japan's strong interest in expanding its investments in Egypt. The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is fully committed to facilitating the delegation's visit and ensuring its success.