Egypt’s Minister of Local Development, Dr. Manal Awad, has reiterated the ministry’s interest in learning from South Korea’s experiences in local governance and development programs, especially in light of the strengthening ties between Egypt and South Korea in recent years. This came during a meeting with Kim Yong-hyun, the South Korean Ambassador to Cairo, where the two officials discussed various areas of cooperation and the implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Egypt’s Ministry of Local Development and South Korea’s Ministry of Security and Interior.
One of the key topics of discussion was the establishment of a training center in Egypt to simulate solid waste management practices, following a Korean-funded project aimed at training local government personnel, ministry staff, and private sector and civil society representatives. The center will be located at the Saqqara Training Center. They also covered scholarship programs and training for local staff in South Korea, as well as feasibility studies for technical projects being implemented by the Ministry of Local Development.
Additionally, the meeting explored the coordination of the “Samuel Andong Foundation” (focused on rural development in South Korea) with Egypt’s flagship rural development initiative, “Hayat Karima” (Dignified Life). This initiative is recognized globally for its efforts to improve the livelihoods of millions of rural Egyptians. The two sides also discussed the continuation of training and development programs as part of the MoU.
Dr. Awad emphasized the ministry’s focus on building the capacity of local administration workers and providing training opportunities for Egyptian officials through partnerships with South Korea. She also highlighted the importance of empowering women, fostering economic clusters within governorates, environmental sustainability, tackling climate change, and promoting digital transformation and the green economy.
Ambassador Kim congratulated Dr. Awad on her appointment as Egypt’s first female Minister of Local Development, expressing South Korea’s willingness to support the implementation of the MoU, with a focus on solid waste management, environmental protection, and climate change mitigation.
The meeting concluded with a commitment to further coordination and the introduction of new initiatives to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Egypt and South Korea in local development, solid waste management, and other areas of mutual interest.
