Egypt pushes economic, security ties across Africa at Russia–Africa forum

Ahram Online , Sunday 21 Dec 2025

Egypt’s foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, held a series of meetings with African counterparts in Cairo on Saturday, pressing for expanded economic cooperation, security coordination, and a unified approach to regional crises, as officials gathered for the Russia–Africa Ministerial Forum.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty receives his Algerian and Tunisian counterparts in Cairo. Photo: Egyptian Foreign Ministry

Abdelatty met separately with the foreign ministers of Equatorial Guinea, Malawi, Rwanda, and Somalia, and joined his Algerian and Tunisian counterparts for talks on Libya, according to statements from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry. Discussions focused on trade, investment, health, infrastructure, and training, alongside African Union (AU) reform and conflict resolution in the Horn of Africa, Libya, and the Great Lakes region.

Across the meetings, Abdelatty called for deeper private-sector engagement, expanded capacity-building programmes, and stronger security cooperation, while urging a gradual and inclusive reform process for African Union institutions.

Economic and development cooperation

In talks with Equatorial Guinea’s Foreign Minister, Simeon Oyono Esono Angue, Abdelatty said Egypt was ready to expand trade and increase Egyptian participation in infrastructure, construction, and housing projects, while continuing to train Equatorial Guinean security personnel. He also proposed cooperation in pharmaceutical manufacturing, civil aviation, and diplomatic training, including the establishment of a diplomacy academy in Malabo.

Meeting Malawi’s Foreign Minister, George Chaponda, Abdelatty said Egypt was keen to work with the country’s new government and called for political consultations to prepare for a joint higher committee. He pointed to opportunities in renewable energy, hydropower, and infrastructure, and stated that Egypt was ready to share expertise in irrigation, agriculture, and fertilizers, while encouraging Egyptian private investment.

Abdelatty also called for expanding access to Egyptian pharmaceuticals, exploring medical tourism, strengthening mining cooperation, studying mechanisms for fertilizer-for-goods trade, establishing a direct Cairo–Lilongwe flight, and involving Egyptian firms in the rehabilitation of Kamuzu International Airport, while building on the joint military committee and Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development (EAPD) training programmes.

With Rwanda’s Foreign Minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe, Abdelatty urged faster progress on the Egypt–Rwanda Heart Centre (The Professor Magdi Yacoub Centre), saying fundraising should be accelerated to allow its inauguration during a high-level visit next year. He said Egypt sought to expand cooperation in water management, agriculture, health, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, and housing, while opening new areas, including information technology and social development, building on President Paul Kagame’s visit.

Abdelatty added that Cairo is ready to host the third permanent joint committee, activate a logistics zone in Rwanda for Egyptian products, and continue training cooperation, particularly in defence, policing, agriculture, irrigation, cybersecurity, and counterterrorism.

Security and regional crises

In talks with Somalia’s Foreign Minister, Abdi Salam Ali, Abdelatty said relations were gaining momentum in economic and security cooperation, and announced plans to relocate Egypt’s embassy headquarters to Mogadishu. He reiterated Egypt’s support for Somalia’s state-building efforts and called for sustained international funding for the African Union mission there, warning against policies that could destabilise the Horn of Africa.

On Libya, Abdelatty joined Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf and Tunisian Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Nafti in reaffirming support for a Libyan-led political process under the auspices of the United Nations (UN). The three ministers called for unifying Libya’s executive institutions, holding presidential and parliamentary elections, and withdrawing all foreign forces and mercenaries, agreeing to continue coordination through their trilateral mechanism.

Abdelatty also raised water security concerns during his Rwanda talks, stressing cooperation on the Nile based on consensus and emphasizing Cairo's rejection of Addis Ababa's unilateral measures in the Eastern Nile Basin. He also expressed support for restoring inclusiveness within the Nile Basin Initiative.

Regionally, he welcomed the Washington Agreement on the Great Lakes and eastern Congo, urging its implementation alongside the Doha framework as a basis for lasting peace.

Russia–Africa forum

The meetings took place on the sidelines of the second ministerial conference of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum, which concluded in Cairo on Saturday. Participants reaffirmed commitments to sovereignty, non-interference, and reforming global governance institutions, including the UN Security Council, to give African states greater representation.

The statement underscored support for a just, multipolar world order grounded in international law, stressing sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-interference, and adherence to the UN Charter.

Ministers warned against efforts to weaken multilateralism, backed UN General Assembly resolutions on decolonisation, and called for reform of global governance institutions, particularly the UN Security Council, to ensure fairer representation for developing countries, especially African states.

The final statement called for deeper cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, energy, and digital transformation in line with Africa’s Agenda 2063 and supported by the African Continental Free Trade Area, alongside reforms to the international financial system, fairer debt treatment, and predictable funding for African peace operations. The forum set the stage for the third Russia–Africa summit, scheduled for 2026.