Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty began a five-nation tour of West Africa on Monday, leading a high-level business delegation in a push to bolster economic ties and deepen security cooperation across a region facing significant challenges. The tour, which will also include stops in Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, and Senegal, kicked off in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, where Abdel-Aty held a series of meetings with top Nigerian officials and the regional ECOWAS bloc, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement. Abdelatty is accompanied by a delegation of 30 heads and representatives of major Egyptian companies, signaling a strong focus on leveraging trade and investment to reinforce diplomatic partnerships. During bilateral talks with his Nigerian counterpart, Yusuf Tuggar, Abdel-Aty stressed the growing momentum in relations, particularly since the first-ever ministerial-level political consultation was held in Cairo in January 2025. The two ministers discussed enhancing cooperation in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, energy, mining, construction, and information technology. Abdel-Aty said the business forum held during the visit was an ideal platform to deepen private sector partnerships and explore joint investment opportunities. In a significant diplomatic development during the forum, Nigeria's Foreign Minister Tuggar officially announced his country's support for the Egyptian candidate for UNESCO Director-General, Khaled El-Enany, ahead of elections in October. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty The Egyptian candidate, who was present at the meetings, also attended the bilateral talks where Abdel-Aty thanked Nigeria for its support of the candidacy within the African Union. In a separate meeting in Abuja, Abdelatty met with Abdel-Fatau Musah, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The Egyptian foreign minister offered to expand cooperation with the regional bloc to combat rising terrorism and extremism in the Sahel and West Africa. He said Egypt was ready to share its expertise through training and technical support for the regional counter-terrorism force. "Egypt will not hesitate to provide all necessary support and assistance to the countries of the region in their efforts to combat terrorism and extremist thought," Abdelatty said, highlighting the role of Egyptian institutions like the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution and Al-Azhar in promoting moderation. The discussions also covered Egypt's ongoing capacity-building support for Nigeria through the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development (EAPD). The agency has so far trained 571 Nigerian personnel in 260 courses across various fields, a number Abdel-Aty said reflects Egypt's commitment to aligning its support with Nigeria's priorities. For his part, the Nigerian minister praised Egypt's active role on the African continent, particularly in reconstruction, sustainable development, and counter-terrorism. He expressed Nigeria's interest in benefiting from Egyptian expertise in infrastructure, technical education, healthcare, and modern agriculture. Before starting his West Africa tour, Abdelatty made a stop in N'Djamena on Monday, where he met with Chadian Foreign Minister Abdallah Saber Fadoul. During that meeting, Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt's support for development projects in Chad, particularly in infrastructure, energy, and health. He highlighted that a land road project to link the two countries and boost trade was a high priority.
