‘The Africa we want is not just a dream' - Egypt - Al-Ahram Weekly

Al-Ahram Weekly

21 hours ago

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty last week toured six African countries, namely Chad, Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Senegal, on a trip that saw important discussions with the local authorities on the part of the Egyptian business delegation that accompanied him.
According to Ramadan Kurani, an expert in African affairs, this was a strategic trip for three main reasons. First, it defied allegations that Egypt's foreign policy is focused on certain regions in Africa, namely the Nile Basin, East Africa, and Southern Africa.
Abdelatty's tour to West Africa, together with the visits of senior officials from Egypt and these countries during the past year, proved Egypt's willingness to boost its relations with all five regions of the continent, North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa, he said.
A second reason is the fact that West Africa is intertwined with the Sahel and Sahara, an area facing security challenges, given that both the Islamic State (IS) group and Al-Qaeda are actively present there.
'The stability of this area is directly linked to Egypt's national security,' Kurani said.
Thirdly, the choice of countries included Nigeria, one of the most important economic and political powers in West Africa, Senegal, which has deep cultural and economic ties with the other West African countries, and the three Sahel states of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, which are facing growing challenges in the fight against terrorism.
Chad, along with Egypt, is working on establishing a road network that will link the two countries together with Libya. The two countries are cooperating on the economic and security levels to combat terrorism in the Sahel and Sahara.
Egypt and Chad host the largest number of Sudanese refugees from the conflict in Sudan.
Abdelatty delivered a written message from President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi to the heads of state he visited, reaffirming Egypt's close relations with each and with the continent as a whole.
On the economic level, 30 business leaders and representatives of Egyptian companies accompanied Abdelatty on his tour. Kurani noted that this was new in Egypt's diplomacy with the African countries.
He explained that while historical and cultural relations between Egypt and the African states are rich, this has not always been reflected in economic cooperation. 'The African states can benefit from cooperation with Egypt in infrastructure, energy, medicine, and education. This is win-win cooperation as the Egyptian economy would also benefit,' Kurani said.
The African states, he added, have taken positive steps to attract foreign investors. The economic delegation that accompanied Abdelatty's tour had explored opportunities for Egyptian investors to enter the markets of these states, he said.
He said that one of the factors that will make Egyptian investment welcome in these countries is the fact that Egypt does not have a history of occupation of any African state.
'The activation of economic diplomacy goes hand in hand with political diplomacy, which will benefit Egypt as well as the African states,' Kurani said.
On the societal level, Kurani explained, the six countries included in the tour can be described as Western Islamic states or part of the Western Islamic belt of Africa. Egypt's cultural relations with these countries are strong and boosting these and enhancing Egypt's soft power there is important, he said.
The community of Egyptian expats, businesses, and Al-Azhar scholars can play an influential role in enhancing ties.
'When the Arab Contractors Company, for instance, initiates a project in an African state, it usually establishes a health centre, a mosque, or an education centre as well. After completing the project, they leave these establishments as a gift to the state,' he said.
Egypt's investment in these countries amounts to $2 billion, 'but our soft power also guarantees an effective Egyptian presence in these countries,' Kurani noted.
The Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development (EAPD) is very active in most of these countries. It supports Africa's developmental aspirations through capacity-building assistance, the transfer of knowledge, skills, and expertise, and the promotion of the creative industries.
Meanwhile, Kurani said that Egypt will no longer be deceived by statements on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) being built on the Upper Nile by Ethiopia.
'Today, the GERD is complete. The main issue now is not the dam itself, but the technicalities of its future operation,' he said.
If Ethiopia wants a genuine solution to differences on the dam, it must have the political will to enter negotiations. There should also be legally binding regulations for all the involved parties.
US President Donald Trump's statements last week aimed to affect Egypt's position on other important issues, namely Gaza and the displacement of the Palestinians, a move which Egypt has repeatedly and categorically rejected.
His statements aimed at either acknowledging the righteousness of Egypt's stand on the GERD, Kurani said, or were an attempt to convince the world that he deserves a Nobel Prize.
He added that Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had been provocative when he invited both Egypt and Sudan to the inauguration of the GERD in September. 'The inauguration is part of a political propaganda campaign by the Prosperity Party, Ahmed's ruling party, that uses the dam as a political project to distract attention from internal and border problems.'
However, Kurani expressed optimism that the restart of the negotiations may bear fruit, noting that the present negotiating environment is different from that of 2019-2020. The internal problems Ethiopia faces today, together with recent developments in Sudan, may pave the way for better outcomes, he said.
'I am not saying that we will easily get concessions from Ethiopia, but the current environment will help maintain Egypt's water security. The positive point is that Ethiopia or any other African state will think twice before causing any harm to Egypt's water security,' he said.
Regarding Egypt's role in promoting the Agenda 2063 aimed at achieving an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa driven by its citizens, Kurani noted that Egypt has, since 2014, worked to boost its diplomacy across Africa.
Studies show that 30 per cent of President Al-Sisi's external tours have been to African states.
During Al-Sisi's address to the African Union's (AU) Seventh Mid-Year Coordination Meeting held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, earlier this month, he called on all African countries to work collectively to overcome challenges, stating that 'the Africa we want is not a dream but a near reality.'
'Such a slogan is very important for political, cultural, and strategic détente among the African states,' Kurani said.
Agenda 2063 has various targets, mainly the integration and development of the continent. With that in mind, Egypt is working on multiple areas, including improving infrastructure across the African states and establishing a free-trade zone.
It is advancing these goals through two important centres: the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding and the African Union Sahel and Sahara Counter-Terrorism Centre.
These centres, together with the EAPD, play key roles in supporting development according to the Agenda 2063 framework.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 August, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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