The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), South Korea’s official development cooperation agency, and the National Council for Women (NCW) jointly held a Knowledge Sharing Seminar on October 15, 2026, at The St. Regis Cairo, marking the successful conclusion of the three-year “Capacity Building on Gender/SME in Egypt (2024-2026)” training programme.
The event celebrated the longstanding partnership between South Korea and Egypt and reaffirmed their shared commitment to advancing women’s economic empowerment.
The seminar was attended by distinguished guests, including Ambassador Wan-Joong Kim, Ambassador of South Korea to Egypt; Counsellor Amal Ammar, President of the National Council for Women; and Ambassador Wael El Nagaar, Assistant Foreign Minister for Cultural Affairs, alongside representatives of the Korean Embassy, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NCW, United Nations agencies, development partners and alumni of KOICA’s training programmes.
Implemented under KOICA’s Capacity Improvement and Advancement for Tomorrow (CIAT) fellowship programme in cooperation with NCW, the initiative aimed to strengthen the NCW’s institutional capacity and enhance officials’ policy formulation and advisory capabilities.
It focused on developing policies and support systems for women’s employment, entrepreneurship, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), drawing on Korea’s development experience and expertise.
The seminar provided a platform to reflect on the programme’s achievements and explore opportunities to translate the knowledge gained in Korea into practical policies and initiatives in Egypt.
Three programme alumni shared their experiences and key lessons from the training, highlighting how they have applied the knowledge and skills they acquired to support women’s empowerment and contribute to advancing Egypt’s women’s agenda.
The seminar also featured a joint presentation by KOICA and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) volunteers serving at public libraries in Luxor. They shared their experiences in delivering educational activities for girls and discussed approaches to creating engaging, inclusive and supportive learning environments.
A panel discussion featuring representatives of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Food Programme (WFP), and UN Women explored the achievements of KOICA-supported programmes and projects, as well as future opportunities to strengthen women-focused programming and enhance collaboration among NCW, KOICA, UN agencies and other development partners.
Discussions highlighted the importance of exchanging technical expertise and international best practices, promoting complementarity among programmes, avoiding duplication of efforts and aligning joint initiatives with national priorities to achieve sustainable impact in women’s economic empowerment and leverage the expertise of KOICA programme alumni.
Counsellor Amal Ammar, President of NCW, delivered the opening remarks, highlighting six years of fruitful partnership between NCW and KOICA as a successful model of international cooperation built on knowledge exchange and investment in people.
She noted that between 2020 and 2026, six training courses benefited around 90 participants from NCW and partner ministries, while five NCW staff members earned master’s degrees in international development in Korea.
She looked forward to building on these achievements following the elevation of Egyptian-Korean relations to a strategic partnership, particularly in supporting women entrepreneurs and SME owners.
In his congratulatory remarks, Ambassador Wael El Nagaar, Assistant Foreign Minister for Cultural Affairs, described the seminar as the culmination of three years of fruitful cooperation with KOICA, commending NCW’s role as a key national partner in advancing women’s economic empowerment.
He stressed that SMEs are a cornerstone of Egypt’s economy and that supporting women-led enterprises contributes to Egypt Vision 2030, noting the programme’s achievements in policy development, capacity building and empowering women entrepreneurs in financial inclusion and market access.
Ambassador Wan-Joong Kim, Ambassador of South Korea to Egypt, also conveyed his appreciation for the longstanding cooperation between Korea and Egypt and reaffirmed Korea’s commitment to supporting Egypt’s sustainable development and women’s empowerment.
Sooyoung Park, KOICA Country Director in Egypt, delivered the closing remarks, expressing her sincere appreciation to NCW, the participants, programme alumni and all partners involved.
She emphasised that the conclusion of the three-year programme marks not an end, but a new step forward in bilateral cooperation, highlighting the importance of translating its achievements into concrete policies and practical actions while creating new opportunities for future collaboration.
KOICA’s continued commitment to human resource development in Egypt
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is a government agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea. It implements grant-based development cooperation programmes to support poverty reduction and sustainable socioeconomic development in partner countries worldwide.
Since establishing its Egypt Office in 1998, KOICA has supported the professional development of Egyptian public officials and policymakers through its CIAT fellowship programme and scholarship opportunities for master’s and doctoral studies.
As of 2026, a total of 2,187 Egyptians have participated in KOICA’s training and scholarship programmes, including 2,034 participants in invitational training programmes and 153 participants in degree scholarship programmes.
Beyond enhancing individual knowledge and skills, these programmes aim to strengthen the policy and technical capacities of public officials and professionals, build the institutional capacity of their respective organisations, and foster long-term professional and institutional networks between Korea and Egypt.
Through its continued partnership with Egyptian institutions, KOICA remains committed to promoting knowledge exchange, fostering human resource development and supporting Egypt’s sustainable development in line with its national priorities.
