President El-Sisi’s Speech at Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum

alhadath – cairo

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to begin by welcoming you all to Egypt, your second home, at this meeting that embodies the importance of strengthening cooperation to achieve peace, security, and development, in line with “Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want,” and underscores the importance of the African Union’s strategic partnerships with all key international powers.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Despite the efforts our countries exert, development in Africa still faces several challenges, including weak infrastructure, insufficient funding, and high risks.

For that reason, Egypt’s vision for development in Africa is based on the following five pillars:

First, supporting the development of strategic corridors and logistics zones.

Second, strengthening cooperation in the sector of energy and electricity interconnection.

Third, supporting agricultural development and achieving food security.

Fourth, promoting intra-African trade.

Fifth, enhancing cooperation in the fields of communications, information technology, and Artificial Intelligence.

In pursuit of our vision for development in Africa, Egypt is committed to utilizing all available cooperation tools, including encouraging Egyptian companies to expand their investments and partnerships in African countries. It has also launched an agency to guarantee exports and investments in Africa, in support of this approach. Consequently, total Egyptian investments in Africa have exceeded $12 billion, and total trade with Africa has exceeded $10 billion.

Egypt continues to support capacity-building and human development programs in Africa through the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development, which has implemented over 700 training programs in various fields, according to the priorities of African countries.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Egypt acknowledges the importance of joint action to achieve fair and equitable utilization of shared transboundary resources, including shared water resources.

Therefore, there is no room for any unilateral actions that would harm the rights of riparian states in transboundary rivers, or undermine opportunities for cooperation and achieving common benefit.

Given that Egypt belongs both geographically and historically to the Nile Basin region, it has been keen for decades to cooperate with the basin countries to achieve fair and equitable utilization of water resources, in accordance with the rules of international law, including cooperation in the construction of dams and the implementation of joint development projects.

It has also recently supported a number of projects within the framework of the Nile Basin Initiative and launched a financing mechanism to support water and infrastructure projects in the countries of the southern Nile Basin, stemming from our belief in the shared right of all the peoples of the basin countries to development, without causing harm to downstream countries.

In light of the close connection between Egypt and the Horn of Africa region, Egypt emphasizes the importance of achieving and sustaining stability in that region, and ensuring the security of navigation in the Red Sea, as these are two essential elements of regional and international security.

From this position, Egypt plans to participate in the new African Union mission in Somalia, AUSSOM, and is exerting strenuous efforts to secure the necessary funding for the mission.

Based on its counter-terrorism experience, Egypt is keen to bolster cooperation with African countries to confront this malicious phenomenon through a comprehensive approach that considers security, development, intellectual, and social dimensions. This includes the role of Al-Azhar and the programs of the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Egypt confirms its commitment to supporting the work of African Union institutions, particularly those it hosts, including supporting these institutions in entering into partnerships to implement effective programs and projects that fulfil the aspirations of our peoples.

Egypt has exerted, and will continue to exert every possible effort, within the framework of its pioneering role in the post-conflict reconstruction and development file, and its chairmanship of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Steering Committee to support development efforts and mobilize funding for ambitious continental projects. This is in addition to implementing reconstruction projects and programs in regions emerging from conflicts.

Egypt will continue to defend African positions and visions in various regional and international forums, particularly regarding the reform of the UN Security Council, in accordance with the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration. It will also continue to work to reform international financial structures and achieve fairer representation for the continent in global governance institutions.

Your Excellencies the Ministers,

Ladies and gentlemen,

In conclusion, I would like to express my appreciation for your participation at this meeting and convey my greetings to my brothers and sisters, the leaders of African states and governments.

I wish you a successful visit to Cairo and look forward to fruitful discussions that will contribute to supporting joint African action.

Thank you very much.