On behalf of Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, GAFI CEO participates in the closing session of the Egyptian-Italian Business Forum and underscores efforts to advance economic and investment partnership between the two countries
Mohamed Awad:
- We aim to turn the Egyptian-Italian partnership into tangible projects, investments, and commercial and industrial partnerships
Badr Abdelatty:
- Egypt is keen to continue developing its strategic partnership with Italy and enhancing economic and investment cooperation
Antonio Tajani:
- Egypt is a strategic partner for Italy and a key gateway for enhancing economic cooperation with Africa
The Egyptian-Italian Business Forum concluded its activities with broad participation from representatives of the governments and business communities of Egypt and Italy. Discussions focused on ways to enhance economic, investment, and trade cooperation between the two countries, while exploring new opportunities for partnerships across a number of priority sectors.
Dr. Mohamed Awad, GAFI CEO, participated in the forum on behalf of Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade. He emphasized that convening the forum reflects the depth of the strategic relations between the two countries and the strong prospects they possess for moving toward a more advanced stage of economic and investment cooperation.
Dr. Mohamed Awad affirmed that the Egyptian state, through the efforts of the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade, is working to create a more competitive investment environment, streamline procedures for investors, and strengthen its ability to attract productive investments, thereby supporting the expansion of manufacturing and exports to regional and international markets.
He noted that trade between Egypt and Italy reached approximately EUR 5.9 billion in 2025. He further explained that Italy ranks fourth in terms of total foreign direct investment in Egypt, with Italian investments amounting to approximately USD 23.4 billion during the period from 2004/2005 to 2024/2025, through approximately 1,400 Italian companies and investment contributions.
He also emphasized the importance of making greater use of Italy’s institutional and financing presence in Egypt, particularly the Italian Deposits and Loans Fund (CDP), the Italian Export Credit Agency (SACE), the Italian company supporting the internationalization of businesses (SIMEST), and the Italian Trade Agency (ICE), in order to link investment opportunities with the available financing, guarantee, and investment promotion instruments.
As part of efforts to strengthen cooperation between the two business communities, the forum witnessed the signing of a cooperation protocol between
GAFI and AlexBank, which is owned by the Italian Intesa Sanpaolo Group, with the aim of supporting investment and providing additional services and solutions that contribute to facilitating investors’ business activities.
The forum also addressed opportunities to enhance cooperation between Egyptian ports and their Italian counterparts, increase indirect transit traffic between Europe and the Gulf countries, and capitalize on Egypt’s strategic location to support regional and international trade flows.
For his part, Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Expatriate Affairs, affirmed that Egypt is keen to continue developing its strategic partnership with Italy and enhancing economic and investment cooperation, reflecting the growing momentum in bilateral relations and the shared commitment to expanding areas of cooperation.
He underscored the importance of continuing coordination between government institutions and the business communities and strengthening the role of the private sector as a key driver of economic cooperation. This would contribute to translating the distinguished relations between the two countries into joint projects, investments, and partnerships that serve the interests of both sides.
For his part, Mr. Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, emphasized the importance of the strategic partnership between Egypt and Italy, noting that Egypt represents a pivotal partner for Italy in the Mediterranean and Africa, and that enhancing economic and investment cooperation is a shared priority.
Tajani highlighted the importance of leveraging the Mattei Plan for Africa to support the establishment of new projects and partnerships, particularly in the areas of investment, energy, infrastructure, food security, and manufacturing, in a manner that serves mutual interests and supports economic development. He also stressed the importance of continuing to strengthen cooperation between Egyptian and Italian companies, encouraging the private sector to establish joint projects, increase investment and trade, and capitalize on Egypt’s productive capabilities and strategic location.
