Egypt has begun executive procedures to establish a specialised Food University to bolster national food security and sustainable development, the Education Development Fund (EDF) announced. The project partners with Japan's Hiroshima University and Cairo and Benha universities, following a December 19, 2024, decree by the EDF board chaired by the Prime Minister. It aims to connect higher education with national development priorities and labour market needs in agriculture and food industries.
In a move to strengthen food security, the Education Development Fund (EDF) has announced the start of executive procedures for establishing a specialised Food University. The initiative partners with Japan's Hiroshima University and Egypt's Cairo and Benha universities, following a December 19, 2024, decree by the EDF board under the Prime Minister's chairmanship.
EDF officials recently met with Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Ala’a Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, in the New Administrative Capital to outline implementation steps. Rasha Saad Sharaf, the EDF's Secretary General, described the university as a model for a “new generation of specialised universities” grounded in interdisciplinary sciences. She explained that it seeks to integrate education with scientific research and practical applications to address state priorities in food security, water resource management, and sustainable development.
The university will feature five specialised colleges: smart agriculture, animal production, water resource management, food processing technology, and agricultural mechanisation. Its campus will include a food research centre and an entrepreneurship incubator. According to Sharaf, the project is based on a comprehensive feasibility study and aims to train qualified personnel, offer technical consultations, and identify strategic crops. It will create an integrated academic and research platform linking water management to food security through programs promoting water conservation and productivity gains.
Sharaf stressed the need for collaboration between the EDF and the ministries of higher education and agriculture to ensure success. She noted that food science, as an interdisciplinary field, requires graduates with high scientific and practical skills to meet local and international labour market demands. The Food University aligns with the EDF's vision for a modern education system based on project-based learning and global partnerships, supporting Egypt's Vision 2030 to position the country as a regional hub for specialised education and research in sustainable agriculture and food sciences.