Alamein Africa Forum: African Leaders Gather in Egypt for Business Summit as Cairo Seeks Greater Influence
African leaders will meet in Egypt on Friday for a business summit that Cairo hopes will strengthen its influence across the continent. The inaugural Alamein Africa Forum will run for three days in the Mediterranean city of Alamein, bringing together government leaders, business figures and financiers.
More than 20 heads of state and government representatives are expected to attend, alongside business leaders, bankers and development institutions. Egypt’s aim is to rebuild its standing in Africa after years in which its diplomacy focused mainly on the Middle East and the Mediterranean. In that period, China and Gulf states, particularly the United Arab Emirates, have become major players in African trade, infrastructure and investment.
Egypt’s Deputy Foreign Minister for African Affairs, Mohamed Abu Bakr Saleh, described the event to AFP as an African platform. He said the idea is to make it easier for countries on the continent to do business with each other, so that a country in East Africa can sign an agreement with one in West, North or southern Africa through the same forum. Saleh said the summit will become a biennial event under an African Union mandate.
The agenda covers infrastructure, trade, agriculture, healthcare, mining, technology and renewable energy. These sectors match many of the priorities of African governments that are looking for financing and partners to expand roads, power supply, farming output and digital services.
Egypt hopes to present itself as an experienced investor as well as a host. Officials estimate its investments across Africa at around $14 billion. One of the best-known examples is Tanzania’s $3 billion Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project, which was built by a consortium led by Egyptian companies. Cairo is expected to use the forum to highlight such projects and to seek new partnerships.
The summit takes place against a sensitive political backdrop. Egypt and Ethiopia remain in a long-running dispute over the $5 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Africa’s largest hydroelectric project. More than a decade of negotiations has not produced a settlement. Egypt says the dam could threaten its Nile water supply without a binding agreement on how it is operated. Saleh reiterated that Egypt’s position on water security has not changed and called the matter existential for the country. Egypt has also sought support from other African states for its stance.
Analysts say the forum gives Cairo a chance to show that it can offer more than diplomacy, and that its private sector can compete for contracts and projects. Its success is likely to depend on whether the meetings produce concrete deals rather than statements of intent, and on how many senior leaders actually attend.
For African businesses and investors, the event offers a place to meet officials and potential partners in one location. Announcements on financing, joint ventures and infrastructure agreements are expected as the three days progress.
More details are likely to emerge once the forum opens on Friday.
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