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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi inaugurated the inaugural Alamein Africa Business Forum on October 2, 2026, telling attendees that stability remains a prerequisite for economic development and that the private sector accounts for more than 70 percent of Africa’s gross domestic product. The three-day event in New Alamein City, organized jointly by the Egyptian government, the African Export-Import Bank, the African Union Development Agency and the African Union Commission, drew presidents from countries including Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Ghana, Senegal and South Africa along with prominent industrialists such as Aliko Dangote. El-Sisi noted that around 85 percent of African private-sector transactions occur with partners outside the continent, according to his remarks reported by Arab News, and called for stronger cross-border collaboration to address this gap. The forum will serve as a biennial platform under an African Union mandate to align policy with investment priorities across infrastructure, agriculture, mining, technology and renewable energy.
Afreximbank figures show intra-African trade expanded 12.4 percent in 2024 to $220.3 billion after contracting 5.9 percent the year before. El-Sisi described the rebound as positive but said Africa can achieve substantially more by closing information gaps that prevent small and medium-sized enterprises from identifying regional opportunities. The African Trade Report produced by Afreximbank indicates that official intra-African commerce still represents only about 14 to 18 percent of the continent’s total trade, though unrecorded flows may raise the real figure considerably.
Egyptian investments in other African countries have reached approximately $14 billion, including financing for Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project, Arab News reported. The gathering coincides with Egypt hosting the African Union mid-year coordination meeting and a summit of founding members of the African Union Development Agency. Participants toured an economic exhibition featuring pavilions from Afreximbank, AUDA-NEPAD and Egyptian entities as well as displays dedicated to startups and small and medium-sized enterprises.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told the opening session that the forum constitutes a unique platform for advancing trade, investment and development mechanisms across Africa. Planning Minister Ahmed Rostom, speaking at the event, proposed a co-innovation model that would link Egyptian and other African entrepreneurs through technology transfers and regional value chains while encouraging greater use of patient capital. Rostom also highlighted the African Continental Free Trade Area as a vehicle for positioning Egypt as a launchpad for African startups seeking global markets.
Business leaders from MTN, Oando, Attijariwafa Bank and Coris Bank joined the discussions, which included the formation of a proposed Business Advisory Council to advance private-sector priorities. The forum grew from an Egyptian initiative endorsed by the African Union and is scheduled to convene every two years in New Alamein. Additional bilateral meetings among leaders are expected to generate new commitments on financing and cross-border projects.
AUDA-NEPAD Chief Executive Nardos Bekele-Thomas and African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Youssouf delivered opening remarks that reinforced the event’s role in implementing the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Egyptian officials have framed the forum as a permanent venue for high-level dialogue that bridges political decision-making with entrepreneurial capacity. Afreximbank has projected continued growth in intra-African trade supported by the free trade area and regional integration efforts.
