Walid Anwar:
- Egypt seeks to build African productive partnerships and transform them into integrated supply chains serving global markets.
- Egypt has the capabilities to become a regional hub for trade, manufacturing, and exports to African and global markets.
In his keynote address at WTCA Middle East and Africa Conference, hosted by the World Trade Center Cairo, Walid Anwar, Deputy CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), affirmed that Egypt seeks to maximize opportunities for economic integration with African countries and move from a focus on trading with Africa toward building integrated investment and production partnerships that strengthen value chains and supply chains across the continent.
He explained that Egypt possesses strategic advantages, including its geographic location, infrastructure, network of ports and logistics facilities, and trade agreements, which position it to become a regional hub for trade, manufacturing, and exports. This enables global companies to use Egypt as a base for production, expansion, and access to African and global markets.
He noted that the real opportunity lies in building integrated African supply chains that link resources and production in African countries with Egypt’s manufacturing and logistics capabilities, thereby enhancing value added within the continent and supporting the access of African products to global markets. He stressed the importance of strengthening partnerships among Egyptian, African, and international companies in such sectors as food industries, energy, technology, healthcare, automotive, infrastructure, and transport and logistics.
He pointed out that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) provides extensive opportunities to expand markets, integrate supply chains, and enhance investment and trade cooperation among African countries.
He also highlighted Egypt’s plans to launch an investment fund for Africa through cooperation between the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade (MIFT) and the Sovereign Fund of Egypt (TSFE), with private-sector participation, to support joint investments.
GAFI Deputy CEO concluded by reaffirming Egypt’s readiness to facilitate engagement among business communities, provide investors with advisory and implementation support, and work to address obstacles, thereby contributing to transforming available opportunities into sustainable projects and partnerships and positioning Egypt as a gateway for production and exports from Africa to global markets.
