Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi chaired the 43rd session of the Steering Committee of Heads of State and Government of the African Union Development Agency (NEPAD) on 10 February 2026 via video conference, bringing together African leaders and senior officials to review the agency’s progress and chart future development priorities for the continent.
The meeting was attended by heads of state and government and representatives of African countries serving on the committee, alongside the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, the President of the African Development Bank, and the President of the African Export-Import Bank. The session marked the conclusion of President El-Sisi’s tenure as chair of the NEPAD Steering Committee, a role he has held since February 2023.
According to Presidential Spokesman Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy, President El-Sisi congratulated Angolan President João Lourenço on his selection as the new chair of the committee. Participating African leaders expressed appreciation for Egypt’s leadership of NEPAD over the past three years, citing progress achieved during a period marked by global economic uncertainty and mounting development challenges. President Lourenço, in turn, emphasized his commitment to working closely with President El-Sisi to build on NEPAD’s role as the continent’s primary development platform.
The meeting featured a presentation by NEPAD’s Executive Director on a report titled “The Agency’s Transformation Journey,” reviewing the agency’s work between 2022 and 2026 and outlining institutional reforms and programmatic achievements. Discussions also addressed progress made under the African Union’s Presidential Infrastructure Initiative, aimed at closing critical infrastructure gaps across the continent.
In his opening address, President El-Sisi underscored the importance of African collective action in response to profound international and regional shifts, noting that rising poverty, unemployment, and food, water, and energy insecurity continue to weigh heavily on development efforts. He stressed that Egypt’s leadership of NEPAD focused on two parallel tracks: restructuring and strengthening the agency’s institutional capacity, and mobilizing sustainable financing for priority development sectors, particularly infrastructure, in line with the second ten-year implementation plan of Agenda 2063.
President El-Sisi highlighted several concrete outcomes achieved during his tenure, including the launch of the “Team Africa” financing initiative, which aims to mobilize up to $500 billion to support approximately 300 major development projects across the continent. He also noted progress toward establishing a NEPAD development fund as a long-term mechanism to address persistent financing gaps.
The agency has expanded its presence across African countries to better align national development plans with Agenda 2063, while securing $100 million in funding to support public health services. NEPAD has also contributed to advancing agricultural development frameworks, launched initiatives to empower women and youth in sectors such as innovation and the digital economy, and supported industrialization and value chain integration within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
President El-Sisi further emphasized the agency’s adoption of a comprehensive approach linking peace, security, and development. In this context, he pointed to Egypt’s role in updating the African Union’s post-conflict reconstruction and development policy, as well as strengthening cooperation between NEPAD, the African Union’s Cairo-based Center for Post-Conflict Reconstruction, and the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development.
Addressing climate challenges, the president noted that Egypt is hosting NEPAD’s Center of Excellence for Climate Resilience and Adaptation, which aims to enhance African countries’ capacity to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, particularly where such impacts threaten development and stability.
On the national level, President El-Sisi highlighted Egypt’s efforts to share its development experience with other African countries, including innovative financing models and public-private partnerships. He also referred to a $100 million Egyptian mechanism dedicated to supporting project preparation and implementation in Nile Basin countries, focusing on water, food, and energy security.
Looking ahead, President El-Sisi stressed the importance of maximizing the use of African development tools and strengthening coordination among African financial institutions to support economic integration. He announced Egypt’s intention to host an African business summit later this year to enhance cooperation between governments, the private sector, and financial institutions.
Concluding his remarks, President El-Sisi expressed confidence in NEPAD’s leadership and affirmed Egypt’s continued support for the agency’s mission to advance sustainable development and prosperity across the African continent.
