Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi met on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, with Amr El Marsafawy, Chairman of AFAQ Mining, an Egyptian company engaged in gold exploration in the Eastern Desert, accompanied by his delegation. Discussions focused on the company’s exploration results and its plans to broaden gold prospecting and exploration activities.
During the meeting, the company reviewed the progress of its operations in its concession area in West Gabal Elbah in the southern Eastern Desert, where it has achieved outstanding results in exploration activities. These results underscore the region’s rich mining potential and highlight the viability of investments in Egypt’s mining sector, the ministry said in a statement.
The meeting was attended by several ministry officials and representatives from the Mineral Resources and Mining Industries Authority (MRMIA). Badawi stated that the ministry, through MRMIA, attaches significant importance to supporting committed national companies in the exploration sector.
Such support is designed to accelerate their operations and enhance the efficient utilization of Egypt’s mineral wealth. AFAQ Mining’s leadership praised the recent reform measures undertaken in the mining sector, foremost among them the transformation of MRMIA into an economic body.
They also highlighted the Cabinet-approved amendments to MRMIA’s executive regulations, which have contributed to improving the working environment, strengthening the sector’s competitiveness, and enhancing its attractiveness to investment. The Minister commended the results achieved by AFAQ Mining in cooperation with Shalateen Mineral Resources Company (SMRC), affirming that this partnership represents a successful model of collaboration between MRMIA and mining companies.
He noted that such cooperation helps maximize the utilization of Egypt’s natural resources and increase the added value of precious metals, particularly gold, in line with the ministry’s strategy to boost the mining sector’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).