Egypt’s Trade and Industry Minister Nevine Gamea said that boosting cooperation and trade exchange with African countries is at the top of the state's priorities in a meeting on Sunday with the Egyptian Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSMEDA) and representatives from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).

She said that the MSMEDA is coordinating with all bodies concerned to benefit from the promising African market by opening new vistas for exporting the products of small businesses.

The meeting also tackled means of providing services for the 50 Million African Women Speak Platform (50MAWSP) — which is the first platform to group 50 million women in the trade and industrial domains in 38 African countries.

MSMEDA Deputy CEO Tareq Shash said the meeting falls within the framework of the MSMEDA’s efforts to cooperate with development partners to promote small and medium sized enterprises and offer tangible services for businesswomen via the 50MAWSP, which was officially launched in tandem with the COMESA and the African Development Bank.

The platform is meant to contribute to realising economic integration and boosting trade exchange among African countries.