Egypt, Singapore deepen cooperation with 7 agreements in key sectors
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam attended the signing of the agreements at the Ittihadiya Palace.
The signing occurred on the sidelines of the Egypt-Singapore Business Forum held in Cairo, under the theme “Promoting Trade and Investment for Sustainable Growth.”
This came during the four-day visit of the Singaporean president to Egypt, which started on Sunday.
The MoUs reflect the depth and diversity that characterise the relationship between the two countries.
The agreements aimed to open new avenues for cooperation amid the mounting challenges facing the global economy.
Maritime transport
An MoU was signed between Egypt’s Ministry of Transport and the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE).
Egyptian Minister of Industry and Transport Kamel El-Wazir signed the agreement with Singaporean Executive Director of Cooperation Projects Kong Wai Mun.
Economic development and social protection
Another MoU was signed between Egypt’s Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, represented by Minister Rania Al-Mashat, and SCE to strengthen strategic partnership and enhance coordination in planning and development policies.
SMEs and startups
Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan ElKhatib signed an MoU with Kong Wai Mun from SCE to bolster entrepreneurship, small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMEs), as well as startups.
Moreover, Egyptian Minister of Social Solidarity Maya Morsi signed an MoU with Singaporean Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli to expand cooperation on social protection and welfare programmes.
Healthcare and agriculture
Both sides also sealed two separate MoUs in the healthcare sector.
The first was signed between Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population and Singapore’s Ministry of Health.
The second was signed by Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Health Tan Kiat How.
Another MoU was also signed to test and cultivate Temasek rice varieties in Egypt.
This agreement links the Egyptian Agricultural Research Centre, represented by Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Alaa Farouk, with the Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, represented by Executive Director Peter Chee.
Training and capacity building
The final MoU focused on training and government capacity development.
It was signed between Egypt’s National Training Academy, led by Executive Director Salwa Jouaily, and Singapore’s Civil Service College, represented by Executive Director Christopher Pijassam.
Untapped potential
In his remarks at the forum, Minister of Investment and External Trade Hassan ElKhatib stressed that the economic relationship between Egypt and Singapore carries untapped potential that goes far beyond current figures.
He pointed out that bilateral trade reached $360 million in 2024, while Singapore’s direct investments in Egypt totalled around $700 million across 129 companies by June 2024.
“These figures are encouraging, but they also reflect the need for greater ambition to raise our economic partnership to the level of the deep political and strategic relations that unite our two countries,” the minister said.
The event also highlighted the importance of forging partnerships based on trust, shared interests, and a clear vision amid rising global challenges.
The forum and the signing ceremony were attended by senior officials from both sides.
From Singapore, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, Senior Minister of State for Digital Development, Information and Health Tan Kiat How, and Singaporean Ambassador to Cairo Dominic Goh attended.
From Egypt, Minister of Education Mohamed Abdel-Latif, Egypt’s Ambassador to Singapore Ahmed Mostafa, General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI) CEO Hossam Heiba, and Chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone Walid Gamal El-Din participated.
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