To meet its energy transition goals, Egypt will be deepening its cooperation with Japan. The North African country’s Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Mahmoud Esmat, recently met a delegation from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), led by Senior Vice President Mitsui Yuko, during which they discussed the expansion of the bilateral tie-up in arenas like digital transformation and capacity building.
“The meeting, held at the ministry’s headquarters in the New Capital, brought together ministry officials and JICA representatives to review ongoing cooperation projects and explore opportunities to strengthen partnership across several areas, including renewable energy, energy planning, energy efficiency, skills development, smart metres, and modern control systems,” the Egyptian government said.
Discussions between the North African country and JICA focused on supporting Egypt’s efforts to achieve energy security, ensure sustainable electricity supplies, increase reliance on renewable energy sources, and reduce carbon emissions in line with “Egypt Vision 2030” and its energy strategy.
“The two sides also examined mechanisms to expand cooperation in training programmes, workforce development, and the establishment of regulatory and training frameworks aimed at improving energy efficiency and performance indicators across various sectors,” reported Arab Finance.
The meeting between Esmat and the JICA delegation also addressed cooperation in digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI) applications, particularly in the development of energy balance systems, data analysis, load forecasting, solar and wind energy production forecasting, and energy demand management. These initiatives have been tailored to strengthen planning and decision-making processes while improving the country’s resource management and institutional performance.
The two sides also reviewed progress under the Egyptian-Japanese cooperation initiative implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, which seeks to develop human resources in energy efficiency policies and management, apart from increasing the number of specialists capable of leading the North African country’s energy transition efforts.
“The technical cooperation project with Japan represents a significant step towards developing a comprehensive implementation plan for Egypt’s energy transition, including setting priorities, identifying future projects, and establishing implementation and monitoring mechanisms,” Esmat said.
“The electricity sector is cooperating with JICA to expand renewable energy deployment, reduce emissions, and diversify energy sources, while also benefiting from the agency’s expertise in energy planning, energy efficiency, digital transformation, and technological innovation,” the senior official added further.
Esmat also highlighted Egypt’s efforts to create a supportive investment environment for the domestic private sector, apart from attracting additional investments in the energy sector.
“Egypt’s national energy strategy targets increasing the contribution of renewable energy in the electricity mix to 45% by 2028, compared with a previous target of 42% by 2030, while reducing dependence on fossil fuels,” Esmat added.
For her part, Yuko praised the rapid development of Egypt’s electricity and renewable energy sector while reaffirming JICA’s commitment to supporting the North African country’s energy transition programmes and sustainable development goals.
“JICA will continue supporting Egypt through the transfer of Japanese expertise, technical assistance, institutional and human capacity building, and initiatives aimed at creating a more efficient and sustainable energy system capable of meeting future challenges,” she concluded.