Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Egypt is stepping up its role in shaping Africa’s infrastructure and energy transformation following high-level talks between Badr Abdelatty and Lerato Mataboge, the African Union Commissioner for Energy and Infrastructure.
The meeting, held on February 14, reflects Cairo’s intensifying diplomatic engagement with the African Union as the continent accelerates implementation of Agenda 2063, the AU’s long-term strategic framework aimed at fostering inclusive growth, economic integration, and sustainable development across Africa.
Abdelatty congratulated Mataboge on her recent appointment, expressing confidence in her leadership at a time when Africa faces mounting infrastructure demands, energy deficits, and growing pressure to strengthen regional connectivity. Egypt, he said, remains committed to working closely with the AU Commission to advance shared continental priorities.
A central focus of the discussions was Egypt’s role in supporting major infrastructure initiatives through its chairmanship of the Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD). In this capacity, Cairo is facilitating support for projects under the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), a flagship framework designed to enhance transport corridors, energy networks, and digital connectivity across borders.
Closing Africa’s infrastructure gap remains one of the continent’s most urgent development challenges. Estimates from multilateral development institutions suggest that Africa requires tens of billions of dollars annually to meet its infrastructure needs. Improved connectivity is widely seen as essential to unlocking the full potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area, which aims to boost intra-African trade, industrialization, and economic diversification.
Among the strategic projects highlighted during the talks was the Victoria–Mediterranean Navigation Link (VIC-MED), a proposal championed by Egypt that would connect Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean Sea through an integrated river transport system. Advocates argue that the project could reduce transportation costs for landlocked East African nations, stimulate agricultural and industrial exports, and strengthen Africa’s logistical integration with global markets.
Abdelatty also reaffirmed Egypt’s interest in engaging in the Lobito Corridor initiative, a major transnational infrastructure project linking mineral-rich regions in Central and Southern Africa to Atlantic export routes. The corridor has gained renewed international attention amid rising global demand for critical minerals essential to renewable energy technologies and electric vehicle production.
Energy cooperation featured prominently in the discussions. Egypt has increasingly positioned itself as a regional hub for renewable energy and green hydrogen development, leveraging large-scale solar and wind projects as well as its strategic geographic location linking Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Both sides explored opportunities to enhance collaboration in renewable energy deployment, green hydrogen production, and continental power interconnection, supporting Africa’s broader transition toward cleaner and more resilient energy systems.
The meeting also addressed the growing importance of emerging technologies. Abdelatty underscored the potential of artificial intelligence applications in infrastructure planning, energy optimization, and public service delivery. He expressed Egypt’s readiness to cooperate with the AU Commission in integrating advanced digital tools into development strategies to improve efficiency and accelerate project implementation.
For her part, Mataboge praised Egypt’s active role in advancing continental development and integration efforts. She expressed her commitment to strengthening cooperation with Cairo in the fields of energy, infrastructure, and sustainable development, emphasizing the importance of coordinated action among member states to meet the African Union’s objectives and the aspirations of African citizens.
The talks underscore Egypt’s broader strategic ambition to serve as a key partner in Africa’s infrastructure expansion, green transition, and economic integration. As the continent advances toward the milestones set out in Agenda 2063, collaboration between national governments and continental institutions is expected to play a decisive role in shaping Africa’s long-term economic transformation.
