The inauguration of the Qustul Border Crossing represents a starting point for Egyptian products to begin entering the Sudanese market as well as the markets of other African countries, according to Minister of Industry and Trade Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour. Sudan's road network links the country to most other countries of eastern and central Africa, which increases opportunities for Egyptian products to access various African markets by land. This will also help facilitate free transport for joint investments, as Abdel Nour pointed out that inaugurating the remaining ports during the coming phase would contribute to merchantability and reinvigorate a number of Egyptian sectors that export to the African market. During the inauguration on Wednesday, Minister of Transport Hany Dahi said that the Egyptian and Sudanese governments were persistent and exhibited a genuine desire to develop ports and crossings between the two countries, as they represent a crucial tool for achieving integration between the peoples of the Nile Valley. He pointed out that Egypt and Sudan are members of a trade facilitation programme implemented in the framework of the Aid for Trade Initiative for Arab States, in which Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq are also involved. The programme strives to promote trade and transport corridors between the countries of the Arab world in order to increase the flow of goods and people across the border as well as contributing to regional Arab economic integration. Abdel Nour further indicated the importance of Egyptian-Sudanese coordination to support logistic trade cooperation and take a range of measures to facilitate land and sea transport. He also discussed the significance of developing ports and unifying administrative and customs procedures to ensure that goods are released quickly and that both individual entry and trade exchange flow take place rapidly. In this context, Alaa Abdel Karim, head of the Egyptian Authority for Import and Export Control, said that beginning Wednesday, the Qustul port is ready to welcome Egyptian and Sudanese goods. Coordination took place between Authority for Ports and Dry Land and the Sudanese government to establish a continuous presence in the port in order to supervise the quality of exports and imports from both sides, which will help facilitate the flow of movement and trade between Egypt and Sudan. He added that the authority has supplied the port with the latest accredited laboratories for examination and testing compatible with Egyptian standards. Additionally, trained and specialised technical personnel have been prepared and administrative offices and ration units outfitted in order to complete work on the port. The necessary arrangements to transport samples from the port to the relevant laboratory have been laid out as well. Abdel Karim explained that both parties will adhere to executing the memorandum of understanding signed by Egypt and Sudan pertaining to examinations prior to shipping, which will help facilitate the flow of trade between the two countries. A government delegation headed by Abdulwahid Yusuf, Minister of Roads and Bridges of Sudan, shared in the inauguration.
