Despite the turbulent developments in the Middle East and the challenges facing the surrounding regional environment, Egypt continues to uphold its leading and active role in Africa, affirmed Diaa Rashwan, Chairman of the State Information Service (SIS).
While Egypt devotes considerable attention and effort to safeguarding its national security and de-escalating regional tensions, it has not been distracted from its enduring commitment and responsibilities toward Africa, he said.
He emphasized that recent events have demonstrated that the continent remains a central priority of Egypt’s foreign policy under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. Cairo, he said, continues to play a pivotal role in advancing the interests of all African peoples and adapting its engagement to the continent’s evolving priorities amid global and regional shifts.
He noted that President Sisi’s participation in the Seventh Mid-Year Coordination Summit of the African Union reflected Egypt’s chairmanship of both the “North Africa Regional Capacity” and the Steering Committee of Heads of State and Government of the African Union Development Agency (NEPAD).
During the summit, the President reviewed Egypt’s efforts to strengthen both mechanisms, enhance peace and security across Africa, and promote the continent’s development and stability.
President Sisi’s address to African leaders highlighted the key role the NEPAD Steering Committee has played under Egypt’s chairmanship in supporting Africa’s development agenda. The President stressed the importance of bridging the continent’s financing gap, implementing the African Agenda 2063, investing in human capital, and improving education, healthcare, and climate resilience.
He also underscored the opportunities available for African nations to achieve prosperity despite the complex regional and international challenges they face.
The President called for intensified cooperation and stronger regional peace and security mechanisms to confront interlinked challenges such as armed conflicts, terrorism, transnational organized crime, and the impacts of climate change.
The President also showcased Egypt’s leadership within the North Africa Regional Capacity over the past two years, particularly in advancing the African Union’s Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development framework and promoting cooperation to protect African resources and aspirations for security, stability, and growth.
Rashwan concluded that Egypt’s ongoing commitment to its African responsibilities continues to evolve in line with the continent’s shifting priorities and needs. He stressed that Egypt leverages its experience, resources, and international standing to serve Africa’s development and the well-being of its peoples.
The remarks were published in the latest issue of African Perspectives, a quarterly academic journal issued by the State Information Service, which focuses on key African political, economic, and strategic developments. The new issue features a special dossier on Africa’s mounting debt crisis under the title “The Escalating African Debt Crisis in a Troubled World”.
The dossier includes analytical studies on the dimensions and indicators of Africa’s debt burden, proposed solutions and initiatives, the role of debt-swap mechanisms, and strategies for sovereign debt management.
The issue also features research papers on “U.S. Foreign Policy Toward Africa During Trump’s Second Term,” “The Global Digital War and Africa’s New Colonialism,” as well as reports on the general elections in Senegal, Mozambique, Namibia, and Ghana, and a special report on Gabon’s constitutional referendum for the transitional phase.
In addition, the issue features a collection of reports and follow-ups, along with regular sections, all written in a scientific and rigorous style consistent with the nature of this periodical. The publication has received an international serial number from Egypt’s Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, recognizing it as a specialized academic journal unique in its field.
Published in Arabic, English, and French, African Horizons is a peer-reviewed quarterly journal that follows academic and professional standards. It is distributed to national institutions, universities, research centers, media organizations, African embassies in Cairo, and Egypt’s media offices abroad. The journal is edited by Abdel-Moati Abu Zeid, Adviser for Foreign Media at the SIS, with Professor Mohamed Ashour of Cairo University’s African Studies Institute as Editorial Consultant, and Dr. Ali Mahgoub as Managing Editor.
