President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met on Sunday with an array of African leaders during his time at the 27th African Union (AU) summit currently being held in Kigali, Rwanda. Al-Sisi met with counterparts from Ghana, Sudan, Togo, Ghana, and Rwanda, according to state-run news agency MENA. In his meeting with Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir, Al-Sisi highlighted the importance of the historic ties between both countries and the potential of bilateral cooperation in different fields. He asserted that connecting ports is a great opportunity to boost trade between both countries. Both leaders also discussed preparations needed to form a joint committee between both countries to further execute plans for bilateral cooperation. Meanwhile, in his meeting with the Somalian president Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, he pledged to maintain Egypt's support in order to overcome security turbulence in Somalia, and recognised the country's national development plan, Somalia 2016. Al-Sisi also met with Ghana president John Mahama and encouraged increasing Ghana's investments in Egypt and offered high-calibre capacity building in Ghana. Egypt had earlier sent medical convoys to Ghana during a doctors' strike, which Mahama recognised. Both leaders discussed potential bilateral collaboration in the fields of education and trade among others. The African leaders also discussed in a closed session on Sunday night several topics such as the AU elections, launching Africa's free trade zone, and the African stance towards suggested reforms in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) aimed at increasing Africa's representation in the council. The summit is expected to conclude on Monday with a press briefing by African presidents as well as a closing ceremony and final press conference.
