The memorandum was signed on 19 May in Sharm el-Sheikh as part of the proceedings of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East.

Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, Sheikha Lubna al-Qasimi attended the signing.

Under the deal, the Dubai School of Government will provide executive education programmes to government employees through partnerships with institutions such as the John F Kennedy of Government at Harvard and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

The school will offer customised programmes to Egyptian officials leading to a master’s degree in public policy.