Summary of "Africa Today 21 7 2025 Amb Ahmed Haggag"

The episode of Africa Today dated July 21, 2025, centers on Egypt’s expanding diplomatic and economic engagement with African countries, highlighted by Foreign Minister Badra Abdalad’s current tour across Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, and Senegal. This tour aims to strengthen bilateral relations and boost trade within the African continent.

Key points covered include:

Egypt-Africa Trade Growth
- Trade volume between Egypt and African Union (AU) countries rose to $9.8 billion in 2024, up from $9.2 billion in 2023, a 6.5% increase.
- Egypt aims to increase this trade volume to $15 billion by the end of 2025.
- Egyptian exports to AU countries reached $7.7 billion in 2024, with Libya, Morocco, and Algeria as top importers of Egyptian goods.
- Imports from African countries into Egypt grew by 14.5% to $2.1 billion, with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Kenya as leading suppliers.
African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
- Launched in January 2021, AfCFTA is the world’s largest free trade agreement by participating countries, involving 54 of 55 AU members.
- It aims to create a single market of 1.5 billion people with a combined GDP exceeding $3.4 trillion by reducing tariffs on 97% of goods by 2034 and addressing non-tariff barriers.
- Currently, intra-African trade is only 15%, much lower than Europe (60%) and Asia (50%).
- The deal is expected to significantly boost industrial growth, youth empowerment, and Pan-African supply chains, potentially lifting 30 million people out of extreme poverty and increasing African exports by $560 billion (World Bank estimates).
- Challenges include poor infrastructure, fragmented customs regulations, and political instability.
Significance of Foreign Minister Badra Abdalad’s Tour
- Ambassador Ahmed Haggag, former Secretary-General of the former Organization of African Unity, emphasized the importance of Egypt’s engagement with West African countries, especially Nigeria, which is Africa’s largest oil producer and a major economic power.
- Nigeria’s large population and economic status present significant opportunities for trade expansion, both in exports and imports.
- Egypt’s historical ties with Chad and other Francophone countries are being strengthened through development projects in infrastructure, energy, education, health, and agriculture. Egypt also supports Chad with scholarships and cultural exchanges.
- Security cooperation is a major focus, with discussions on combating terrorism in countries like Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, where terrorist attacks threaten civilian populations and economic stability. Egypt provides training to police forces from these countries on anti-terrorism tactics and intelligence.
Economic Cooperation Prospects
- The foreign minister’s delegation includes representatives from major Egyptian companies aiming to enhance investment and trade cooperation, particularly with Nigeria.
- Nigeria and Egypt, both oil-producing countries, have complementary economic interests, although Nigeria is a member of the OPEC group based in Vienna, while Egypt is not.
IMF Report on African Economies in 2025
- South Africa remains Africa’s largest economy with a projected GDP of $410.34 billion.
- Egypt ranks second with a GDP of $347.34 billion, having briefly surpassed South Africa in 2023.
- Nigeria, despite its large population, has dropped to fourth place with a GDP of $188.27 billion.
- GDP rankings reflect economic power, industrial capacity, and export potential, underscoring the importance of trade agreements like AfCFTA.
Investment Flows
- Investment from African Union countries into Egypt declined sharply to $831.2 million in the 2023-2024 fiscal year from $1.6 billion the previous year.

The episode concludes by reaffirming Egypt’s commitment to strengthening ties with African nations through trade, security cooperation, and development partnerships.