Egypt is positioning itself as a hub linking African markets as the continent seeks to strengthen its standing as a major global destination for growth and investment, drawing on its geographic location, infrastructure projects in transport and energy and an evolving investment climate.
The first edition of “Alamein Africa Business Forum", which opened on Saturday, brings together business leaders and policymakers to explore trade and investment opportunities and create new avenues for partnerships between Egyptian and African companies, to boost trade and advance economic integration across the continent.
The forum is attended by around 1,500 participants, including heads of state and government, senior officials, representatives of the public and private sectors, business and financial leaders, investors and international financial institutions. From the rapidly developing city of New Alamein to markets across the continent, Egypt is seeking to open new channels for African economic integration.
The forum brings together policymakers, business representatives and financial institutions with a focus on moving beyond discussions toward cross-border partnerships, projects and investments that can strengthen trade and investment and connect political ambitions with the continent’s economic development priorities.
The forum comes as African economies, like economies worldwide, face growing pressure from global economic developments, including the energy crisis, higher fuel and fertilizer prices, and disruptions to supply chains and shipping. These factors are adding to the challenges facing African economies and increasing the need for stronger regional cooperation and greater productive capacity and supply chains within the continent.
The inaugural forum in New Alamein sends a clear economic message that achieving the goals of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 requires moving from trade agreements and frameworks toward real projects and investments led by companies and investors. Against that backdrop, empowering the private sector, providing financing and market information, and facilitating access to markets are key to turning opportunities for continental integration into productive and sustainable partnerships.
The African Development Bank expects African economic growth to accelerate from 3.3% in 2024 to 3.9% in 2025 and 4.0% in 2026, despite rising geopolitical uncertainty and global trade tensions, according to its latest reports. Foreign trade data also highlight Egypt’s economic presence in African markets.
Total trade between Egypt and African Union countries stood at about $9.6 billion in 2025, compared with $9.9 billion in 2024, according to data from Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). Egyptian exports to African Union countries reached about $7.6 billion in 2025, down from $7.8 billion a year earlier, reflecting continued flows of Egyptian products into several key African markets.
The figures point to a broadening base of African markets receiving Egyptian products, providing a foundation for expanding intra-African trade and creating wider opportunities for Egyptian companies and investors across the continent.