On Sunday, Jan 11 2026, Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, has reaffirmed the private sector as the strategic engine for strengthening Egypt’s economic engagement with African countries, highlighting its role in boosting trade volumes, attracting joint investments and delivering sustainable development outcomes. He commended Egyptian firms operating across the continent for their agility in capturing investment opportunities and executing viable development projects.
The foreign ministry said Egypt is prioritizing coordination with African governments and institutions to dismantle regulatory and procedural barriers, thereby cultivating a more enabling business environment. Abdelatty underscored plans to expand cooperation in high-impact sectors, including infrastructure, SMEs, energy, transport and logistics, agriculture, and health and pharmaceuticals, while stressing the importance of Egyptian banks and the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development in advancing economic cooperation.
He also highlighted Africa’s vast consumer market and growth potential, urging Egyptian companies to leverage their strong reputation by forming alliances and exploiting opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to scale exports and integration.
According to Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics or CAPMAS, trade between Egypt and African Union member states reached $9.9 billion in 2024, up from $9.2 billion in 2023, representing a 7.6 per cent increase. In November, Al-Ahram Hebdo hosted the first Egyptian-African Economic Conference, reinforcing momentum towards continental integration and partnership.