Egypt’s Minister of Planning, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, participated in a celebration organized by the Indian Embassy in Cairo to mark the 61st anniversary of India’s Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program.
In her speech, Dr. Al-Mashat expressed her pride in the 61-year milestone of the ITEC program, which is a cornerstone in strengthening bilateral relations between Egypt and India. She highlighted its significant role in transferring technical expertise and advanced knowledge from India to Egypt and other developing nations.
Al-Mashat emphasized that the partnership between Egypt and India has witnessed remarkable growth, expanding into multiple sectors that reflect the alignment of both countries’ visions. She reiterated that Egypt and India have long been advocates of economic cooperation among developing countries, believing that integration and collaboration are the key to sustainable development and shared prosperity.
She also highlighted Egypt’s firm commitment to promoting South-South cooperation and triangular collaboration, underscoring that countries with similar economic and social conditions are well-placed to make significant progress through the exchange of experiences and best practices that have proven successful in local contexts. Al-Mashat reiterated Egypt’s focus on strengthening its collaboration with India across various sectors, drawing on over seven decades of friendly relations.
The Minister further noted that human capital development is a key focus in the strategic partnership with India. She pointed out that Egypt places great importance on capacity building and knowledge exchange to equip individuals with the skills needed to tackle contemporary challenges. The ITEC program plays a pivotal role in fostering cooperation among developing countries, not only due to its broad reach, covering 162 partner countries, but also by providing innovative forms of technical cooperation across various fields.
As the national coordinator of the ITEC program in Egypt, Al-Mashat outlined the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development’s efforts to align national priorities with the objectives of the program. These efforts have led to an increase in the number of training opportunities offered to Egypt, rising from 40 to 200 annually, allowing more than 1,500 Egyptian government officials to receive specialized training in areas such as information technology, small and medium enterprises, entrepreneurship, public administration, auditing, rural development, parliamentary affairs, healthcare, renewable energy, and more.
The Minister expressed Egypt’s eagerness to explore new avenues for cooperation with India, particularly in exchanging best practices and policies, and leveraging the competitive advantages of both countries in sectors such as artificial intelligence, programming, startup support, public health, locomotive manufacturing, poverty alleviation, and combating climate change.
Dr. Al-Mashat reaffirmed Egypt’s belief that enhancing cooperation in these areas will significantly contribute to sustainable development. To achieve these goals, she highlighted the Ministry’s work on designing specialized capacity-building programs and enhancing technical cooperation between research and educational institutions in both countries, such as the National Planning Institute and the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development in Egypt and their counterparts in India. This will aim to strengthen the ITEC program and expand its impact into new areas to address common developmental needs.
