Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi arrived in Maputo on Friday, kicking off his visit to Mozambique, where he held talks with President Filipe Nyusi.
Presidential Spokesman Counsellor Ahmed Fahmy said in a statement that the Mozambican president welcomed President Sisi’s historic visit to Maputo, expressing his country’s great pride in this visit.
Sisi’s visit marked the first-ever of an Egyptian leader to Mozambique. Nyusi lauded President Sisi’s current tour to a number of African countries, which reflects Cairo’s deep interest in Africa and its eagerness to support its brothers on the continent.
Counsellor Fahmy said President Nyusi also reiterated the strength of bilateral relations between the two countries, expressing his country’s aspiration to further boost the manifestations of these ties, especially at the economic level.
Nyusi has said his country is keen on encouraging Egyptian investments, citing Maputo’s willingness to provide
all necessary facilities. He also pledged to iron out any obstacles facing Egyptian companies in Mozambique.
For his part, President Sisi has expressed his pride in being the first Egyptian president to visit Maputo, asserting Cairo’s aspiration that the visit will contribute to opening new horizons of co-operation between the two countries to achieve a quantum leap in the level of bilateral relations.
Three-leg tour
The president was keen on visiting Mozambique as part of his African tour due to his deep appreciation for the historical ties between Egypt and Mozambique, which plays a key role in the region of Southern Africa, which comprises Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
President Sisi began a three-leg African tour on Tuesday. He visited Angola, Zambia and Mozambique to discuss with African leaders the current developments on the continent, i.e. the situation in Sudan, economic co-operation and bilateral trade.
President Sisi has reiterated the need to boost economic co-operation between Egypt and Mozambique, stressing the importance of increasing bilateral trade, as well as mutual keenness to enhance the presence of Egyptian companies in Mozambique.
The president also stressed the need to encourage Egyptian companies to invest in Mozambique, especially in infrastructure development, agriculture, fish farming and health. Moreover, he asserted Egypt’s keenness to support Mozambique in various civil and military fields.
The talks also highlighted ways to deepen co-operation between Egypt and Mozambique for combatting terrorism and extremist ideology in Africa to help achieve security and stability required for development,
especially in the eastern and southern African regions.
In this regard, President Nyusi praised the role of Egyptian religious institutions in combatting extremist ideology and spreading the moderate approach of Islam to all countries of the world, including Mozambique.
A strategic alternative
Egypt is tipped to link its mega-projects with Africa to ensure sustained growth rates in the coming decades. Egypt is already part of several African-wide initiatives, such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and is looking to build on this momentum.
Africa should be viewed as a key strategic alternative for long-term investment, trade, and sustainable development. Egypt has the potential to engage in sustainable development all over Africa for a better future for all the continent’s peoples and the whole world.
Africa accounts for 16.7 per cent of the world population, according to data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Intra-African trade is estimated at roughly 15 per cent.
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