Meetings of Africa Forum 2018 kicked off on Saturday morning in Sharm el Sheikh under the auspices of President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi with the participation of a number of African leaders. More than 3,000 entrepreneurs from Africa are participating in the investment forum. Several sessions will be held on the first day of the forum under the theme "Entrepreneurs Day", including one on strengthening regional economic systems in Africa which will tackle means of consolidating cross-border cooperation and opening up new markets for African economic blocs. Another session is to be held on policies of African countries in light of developments being witnessed in the entrepreneurship domain in Africa, with the participation of Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr and Finance Minister Mohamed Maait. A session on increasing the volume of the economic growth is set to be held as part of today's activities. A number of sessions on empowering the African woman will be also held as part of today's activities, including a round table discussion on the importance of gender equality in achieving Africa's progress. Another session is set to discuss the role of women in outlining policies of the African continent with the participation of Immigration Minister Nabila Makram, Environment Minister Yasmeen Fouad, Mali's Foreign Minister Kamissa Camara and COMESA Secretary General Chileshe Kapwepwe. A number of agreements will be signed on the sidelines of the first day of the forum.
