The Presidency
“In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”
Your Excellencies, Heads of State of African nations,
My brother, His Excellency Mr. Mahmoud Ali Youssef,
Chairperson of the African Union Commission,
Ms. Nardos Bekele-Thomas,
Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD),
Dr. George Elombi,
President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank),
Distinguished leaders of business and financial institutions,
Honored guests,
At the outset, I warmly welcome you all to Egypt and to the new City of El Alamein, a city that has stood as a witness to history and now serves as an inspiring model of development and prosperity, having once been the arena for one of the largest battles of the Second World War.
We gather today at a pivotal juncture, as the world confronts compounding crises and swift transformations. It is a moment in which geopolitical tensions converge with economic and developmental challenges, and where global maps of production, energy, and technology are being redrawn.
In such defining moments, nations must fortify their capabilities to enhance resilience and shape their future, and the future of their peoples, by their own hands.
Allow me to emphasize a core principle in which we firmly believe: economic development cannot be built in unstable nations, and stability is not a luxury, but rather the essential cornerstone sought by investors, manufacturers, and farmers to work in a secure environment that enables them to achieve their objectives.
In our African continent, we fully recognize that security begins with empowering the nation-state and its institutions, respecting its unity and sovereignty, prioritizing peaceful solutions to conflicts and crises, and upholding the principle of good neighborliness, thereby enabling the operationalization of mechanisms for joint cooperation and economic integration to meet the legitimate aspirations of our peoples for development and prosperity.
Egypt has always stood at the forefront of nations championing this vision, driven by deep pride in its firmly rooted African identity. Egypt has spared no effort in launching and backing developmental and economic initiatives across Africa, deeply believing that the continent’s renaissance, independence, and the prosperity of its peoples constitute a legitimate right that must be steadfastly upheld and safeguarded.
Brothers and Sisters,
Today, Egypt is proud to host the first edition of the ‘Alamein Africa Business Forum,’ mandated by the African Union Assembly at its recent summit in February 2026, in partnership with the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), and the African Union.
This Forum serves as a strategic continental platform aimed at mobilizing efforts toward realizing the objectives of Agenda 2063, turning the aspirations of joint African action into tangible reality, and offering a unique avenue for the African business community to engage directly with heads of state. It creates a space to address the challenges facing the private sector, while forging cross-border partnerships that drive economic integration and fulfill our shared continental development goals.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Statistics indicate that the African private sector serves as the primary engine of the continent’s economies, contributing over 70 percent of Africa’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP. Remarkably, nearly 85 percent of transactions conducted by the African private sector occur with companies outside the continent.
Moreover, over 50 percent of small and medium-sized enterprises lack sufficient information regarding available opportunities in neighboring African markets, which compels them to pursue trade in distant international markets rather than within nearby African nations.
Despite the multitude of preferential trade agreements and arrangements uniting our continent, intra-African trade has barely exceeded 18 percent of total African trade in recent years.
This reality inspired the launch of this Forum: to serve as an institutional bridge that breaks down barriers of isolation and closes the information gap. Fostering engagement among private sector leaders and investors across our continent requires direct communication and forging effective platforms for alignment. It is essential to empower the African private sector to unlock its latent potential, actively advance the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and contribute to fulfilling Africa’s developmental targets under Agenda 2063.
The hosting of this inaugural edition of the Forum, coinciding with the city of El-Alamein’s hosting of the 8th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union, reflects the intrinsic bond between political and economic action, within the framework of joint African action.
Honored Guests,
Africa is a young and vibrant continent, where youth account for nearly 65 percent of its population. It is endowed with vast human and natural resources, comprising nations that engage dynamically and with growing influence on the global stage. Today, Africa strives diligently to secure its rightful place as a principal partner in shaping the international order.
Our continent aspires to a world governed by peace and stability, rather than shouldering the consequences of global crises to which it was not a party, yet whose negative fallout it endures.
The current global energy crisis stands as clear proof of this reality, exerting immense pressure on African nations due to skyrocketing fuel and fertilizer prices, disrupted supply chains and shipping, among other impacts.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our objective is clear: to build modern nations capable of keeping pace with swift global economic transformations, and to forge a more equitable and sustainable future.
Let us all move forward together toward realizing this goal. I am fully confident that the 21st century will be an African century par excellence, if we master the art of joint action.
Therefore, I invite all attendees to participate actively across the various tracks of this Forum, turning it into a genuine opportunity to explore new prospects for cooperation.
We look forward to seeing the panel sessions yield an impactful exchange of visions and solutions. We trust that the bilateral business meetings, along with the potential showcased in the exhibition, will forge further cross-border commercial partnerships, with special attention accorded to the startups platform, which represents the promising future of our African economies.
In conclusion, it is my pleasure to declare the opening of the official sessions of ‘Alamein Africa Forum 2026.’
Thank you.
Long live Egypt, and long live Africa.
May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon you all
