Prime Minister Kishida’s Attendance at the Japan-Egypt Business Forum (Summary)
On April 30, commencing at approximately 7:10 p.m. (1:10 a.m. May 1 Japan time) for approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, who was on a visit to Egypt, attended the “Japan-Egypt Business Forum” organized by Japanese and Egyptian economic organizations. The summary is as follows.
The forum was attended by H.E. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt, who represented the Government of Egypt, as well as representatives from the Japan-Egypt Business Council (JEBC), the Egypt-Japan Business Council (EJBC), the Japan Business Association (JBA) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), which organized the forum, among others.
1. At the outset, Prime Minister Kishida delivered an opening address and pointed out the importance of Egypt as a regional power that is located at the junction of Asia, Africa and Europe and boasts the Suez Canal. Prime Minister Kishida also stated that the Japanese Government will actively encourage Japanese companies to develop business in Egypt and expand it from Egypt to Africa, and expressed hope that Japan's public and private sector initiatives will lead to the development of Egypt and ultimately strengthen bilateral economic relations.
2. Prime Minister Madbouly then delivered a keynote speech and explained Egypt's attractiveness as an investment destination and their initiative to improve the business environment, and expressed hope for further investment from Japan. Mr. Hossam Heiba, Executive Director of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones, “GAFI”, gave a presentation on the business and investment environment in Egypt, while Mr. Nishi, President of JBA, gave a presentation on JBA's initiatives and business activities of Japanese companies in Egypt.
［Reference］
(1) Japan-Egypt Business Council (JEBC) and Egypt-Japan Business Council (EJBC)
The JEBC and the EJBC are committees composed of business people from both countries (the JEBC on the Japanese side and the EJBC on the Egyptian side). The two councils have so far held 11 joint conferences in total as forums for networking between the Japanese and Egyptian business communities.
(2) Japan Business Association (JBA)
The JBA is a chamber of commerce and industry consisting of approximately 70 member companies in Egypt, including Japanese companies and their local partners.
