Egypt's Minister of Public Business Sector Mohamed Shimi met with Nardos Bekele-Thomas, CEO of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), on the sidelines of the US–Africa Business Summit in Luanda, Angola. The meeting focused on advancing strategic cooperation between Egypt and AUDA-NEPAD in alignment with the African Union's Agenda 2063. Discussions covered key areas including regional integration, infrastructure development, industrial transformation, and mobilising public and private sector resources. Bekele-Thomas highlighted the importance of the upcoming Africa Infrastructure Financing Summit, set to take place in October 2025, as a platform to direct investments towards priority projects. She called on Egypt to lead efforts to establish an integrated platform that brings together governments, financiers, and private sector stakeholders to accelerate the implementation of critical projects under Agenda 2063. Shimi proposed that Egypt host a high-level African dialogue focused on state-owned enterprises to strengthen governance, improve operational efficiency, and expand cross-border partnerships. The two sides agreed on a series of practical initiatives, including the creation of a joint platform linking governments, project sponsors, local and international financiers, and private investors to facilitate infrastructure investment. Egypt will also gain access to AUDA-NEPAD's database of approved projects and explore integrating Egyptian institutions into key regional programmes, particularly the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) and the Continental Power System Master Plan. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
