In a bid to switch to clean energy, Egyptian authorities signed an agreement with a private sector company to develop a mechanism to manage the operations of electric vehicles in the country. The Engineering Automotive Industry Co, a subsidiary of the Holding Company for Metallurgical Industries with Bright Skies. Minister of Public Business Sector Hisham Tawfik oversaw the signing ceremony. The minister said a prototype will be developed within a year to manufacture a 15-passenger microbus. Eighty percent of the vehicle will be designed and manufactured locally, Tawfik said. He said the partnership reflects the Egyptian government’s keenness to increase cooperation with the private sector to smoothly transition to clean energy alternatives. The minister said the government also seeks to ensure increased participation of local players particularly in the electric vehicles industry.