Egypt’s Minister of Local Development Hisham Amna arrived in Germany at the invitation of the state of Bavaria from the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
The minister held a series of meetings with representatives of German companies to discuss co-operation between the two countries and exchange local administration expertise.
During his meeting with Hanns Seidel Foundation chairman Markus Ferber, the minister expressed his appreciation for enhancing the capabilities of the ‘Ayady Misr’ (Hands of Egypt) platform for marketing craft and heritage products.
Amna hailed efforts by the Foundation to support development and social projects in a number of important fields. Hanns Seidel recently celebrated the 45th anniversary of its presence in Egypt.
Amna stressed the depth of relations and mutual trust between the Ministry of Local Development and the German Foundation, especially in the areas of decentralization and qualification of local cadres.
This came in light of the ministry’s co-operation with some European bodies, most notably the Federation of Dutch Municipalities, to train local administration staff, the two sides reviewed prospects for future co-operation in the areas of women and youth empowerment, training, and decentralization.
The minister also met vice president of the German Hanns Seidel Foundation, during which they followed up on the most important areas of co-operation between the Ministry of Local Development and the Foundation during the next stage.
Amna emphasized the importance of maintaining co-operation between the two sides in light of the foundation’s important role in strengthening the local capabilities of youth and women.
Amna stressed the importance of the Foundation’s support for the “Hands of Egypt” project, being implemented by the Ministry of Local Development in the field of economic development and empowerment of youth and women.
He noted that the national project Hands of Egypt was meant to support the production and marketing of handicraft and heritage products.
Source: The Egyptian Gazette
