Egypt and South Africa have pledged to deepen their cooperation on development and align their perspectives on regional and global issues, Egypt's planning ministry said, following a meeting between the two countries' ministers on the sidelines of the G20 Development Ministerial Meetings. In a statement, the ministry said Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, met with Maropene Lydia Ramokgopa, South Africa's Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, during the meetings hosted and chaired by South Africa. Al-Mashat expressed Egypt's appreciation for the invitation to participate in the G20 meetings, where it has been a guest nation for the past five years. She affirmed Egypt's commitment to coordinating with South Africa during its G20 presidency to advance the restructuring of the global financial system and achieve tangible progress in development financing. The minister also commended South Africa's leadership for highlighting the development challenges facing the African continent. The two ministers emphasised the strategic importance of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in fostering economic growth and regional integration and called for closer cooperation to support its implementation. They also stressed the importance of expanding infrastructure projects across the continent, such as the Cairo–Cape Town Corridor, to drive development and boost competitiveness. Al-Mashat showcased Egypt's national structural reform programme and its flagship "NWFE" programme for mobilising climate finance, noting that it was included, along with South Africa's national climate platform, in the final communiqué of the recent Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville. For her part, the South African minister praised Egypt's leadership in advancing development across Africa and amplifying the continent's voice in global forums. She commended Egypt's leadership of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), which the African Union recently extended until February 2026. Al-Mashat also welcomed the final ministerial declaration from the G20 meetings, which emphasised the need to broaden social protection systems, combat illicit financial flows, and prioritise domestic resource mobilisation to close development financing gaps.
