Egypt and Sweden Strengthen Bilateral Cooperation in Industrial and Transport Sectors

Egypt and Sweden reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation in the industrial and transport sectors, particularly in enhancing road safety and localizing the manufacturing of electric buses. Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, Kamel Al-Wazir, met with Johan Forssell, Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, to discuss expanding cooperation in these areas. The meeting marked a significant step towards deepening collaboration between the two countries, leveraging Sweden's expertise in technology transfer, expertise sharing, and cooperation across various transport sectors.

Key Takeaways:

• Egypt and Sweden have a longstanding and robust relationship, with a strong desire to deepen collaboration in the industrial and transport sectors.
• The two sides discussed enhancing road safety, an effort aligned with Egypt's extensive national infrastructure projects in roads and bridges.
• Minister Forssell expressed Sweden's interest in investing in Egypt's industrial development, with a focus on technology transfer, expertise sharing, and cooperation in the transport sector.
• A key focus of the meeting was Egypt's initiative to localize the manufacturing of electric buses, with Swedish company Volvo already manufacturing electric buses in Egypt for export to the UK and several European markets.
• The ministers discussed cooperation on Egypt's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, including the joint production of 100 electric buses, the development of electric charging infrastructure, and the implementation of advanced control and monitoring systems.
• Al-Wazir welcomed Swedish support in rolling out BRT services in Alexandria and emphasized opportunities for collaboration with other Swedish companies in the fields of renewable energy and pharmaceutical innovation.
• A Letter of Intent was signed between Egypt's Land Transport Regulatory Authority and the International Swedish Industry Council, outlining cooperation in public transport planning, capacity building, technical evaluations, and knowledge transfer.

Statistics:

• 100 electric buses will be produced jointly as part of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.
• Volvo, a Swedish company, has already started manufacturing electric buses in Egypt for export to the UK and several European markets.
• Egypt has extensive national infrastructure projects in roads and bridges.

Sources:

• Egyptian Ministry of Industry and Trade
• Dailynewsegypt