Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry Ahmed Samir on behalf of Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli, opened the 4th Pakistan-Africa Trade Development Conference in the presence of Minister of Public Business Sector Mahmoud Esmat, Federal Minister of Trade, Industries and Production of the State of Pakistan, Gohar Ijaz, CEO of the Pakistan Trade Development Authority, Sajid Bilal and Pakistani Ambassador to Cairo Muhammad Zubair were present at the event.
The minister expressed his gratitude to the government of Pakistan and his appreciation to the Pakistan Trade Development Authority, as well as the conference organising committee, for the participation of a distinguished elite of those concerned with developing economic co-operation between Pakistan and the countries of the African continent in this important conference, as well as in the ‘One Country’ exhibition.
He pointed out that such events and meetings would contribute to strengthening joint relations at the bilateral and multilateral levels, as well as establishing constructive partnerships between the continents of Asia and Africa that support the business communities on both continents.
The minister pointed out that the rates of trade exchange between Egypt and Pakistan witnessed significant growth during the past few years, reaching $400 million during the year 2021-2022, including $300 million in Egyptian exports and $100 million in imports, noting that the most important items of trade exchange between the two countries included oil, gas, cotton and plastic.
Samir explained that Egypt and Pakistan share a long, deeper history of diplomatic relations between the two countries, as the two countries co-operate in achieving their ambitions to promote social and economic development.
The minister pointed out that the African continent, with its huge resources and emerging markets, provides tremendous opportunities for Pakistani investments. Pakistan also provides many advantages that make it an ideal partner for African countries aiming to achieve diversification and growth.
These advantages contributed to increasing the rates of trade exchange and enhancing interconnection with African countries, noting that the state is proud of the partnerships it has established, especially in the fields of agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and manufacturing.
For his part, Gohar Ijaz, Federal Minister of Commerce, Industries and Production of Pakistan, stressed his country’s keenness to strengthen economic relations with Egypt as it is a major window on the continent of Africa, pointing to the necessity of strengthening economic integration between Egypt and Pakistan in the interest of the two countries’ economies and the prosperity of their peoples.
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