Sudan–Egypt Business Forum Highlights Integration Opportunities
Cairo – Nazik Shammam
Amid international and regional moves toward the reconstruction of Sudan, the second edition of the Sudanese-Egyptian Business Forum will kick off tomorrow in Cairo under the patronage of the Sudanese Embassy in Cairo and the Egyptian-Sudanese Company for Development and Multiple Services.
In November of last year, the first edition of the Sudanese-Egyptian Business Forum recommended the importance of cooperation between the two countries, strengthening trade ties, supporting Sudanese-Egyptian partnerships in line with the directives of the two leaderships, distributing national economies, validating community experiences, and supporting research.
The forum comes within the framework of the historic ties and shared destiny that unite Sudan and Egypt, and in line with the directives of the two leaderships to enhance economic integration, broaden bilateral cooperation, and support regional integration efforts. It also builds on the achievements of the first forum, held on November 23, 2024, under the patronage of Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Industry, Lt. Gen. Kamel El-Wazir, with strong participation from ministers, officials, and experts from both countries.
The Kickoff
Cairo will host tomorrow, Tuesday, the first preparatory workshops discussing opportunities and challenges in the fields of food and pharmaceutical manufacturing, in ways that serve the interests of both peoples.
According to a joint statement issued by the Sudanese Embassy in Cairo and the Egyptian-Sudanese Company for Development and Multiple Investments, the activities of the second edition of the Sudanese-Egyptian Business Forum will officially begin this December in Cairo, in cooperation with several partners, experts, specialists, and business leaders from both countries.
Inter-trade remains the biggest challenge between Cairo and Khartoum, with both countries seeking to raise its value, particularly under current circumstances.
Decline in Bilateral Trade
Egyptian economist, engineer Munjid Ibrahim, stated that the volume of foreign trade for Egypt and Sudan represents about 1,000 USD per capita in both countries, while the volume of bilateral trade between the two stands at only 10 USD per capita.
In his remarks to Sudanhorizon, Ibrahim explained that per capita trade between Egypt and Sudan represents just 1% of total trade, compared to 8% among Arab countries, 25% in Asia, and 65% within the European Union.
He criticized the low level of trade between Sudan and Egypt despite both nations importing goods from across the world, neglecting neighboring countries with whom they share history and geography, instead rushing to purchase from Europe and the United States.
Ibrahim stressed the need to raise this share to 10%, which would increase bilateral trade volume to 16 billion USD between Egypt and Sudan, noting that market capacity, resources, and opportunities are all available.
Mutual Benefit
Economic analyst Dr. Walid Dalil said Egyptian-Sudanese relations are rooted in deep historical ties and unique political and social bonds, given the shared history and cultural proximity of the two peoples.
He explained that relations between the two countries have advanced significantly in recent years since President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi took office in Egypt, as he worked on redefining joint relations across all fields on the basis of mutual benefit, serving the interests of both nations and their peoples.
Speaking to Sudanhorizon, Dalil affirmed that economic relations between Cairo and Khartoum have taken positive steps toward integration. He highlighted that bilateral trade between Egypt and Sudan rose notably in recent years, reaching 1.2 billion USD in 2021, up from about 500 million in 2014.
Dalil noted that Egyptian exports to Sudan reached approximately 827 million USD in 2021, compared to 394 million USD in 2014, while Egyptian imports from Sudan reached 383 million USD in 2021, compared to 114 million USD in 2014. He added that there remain untapped export opportunities worth about 300 million USD.
He pointed out that the increase in Egyptian exports to Sudan is part of Cairo’s broader plan to expand its exports to African countries to reach 30 billion USD.
According to Dalil, Egypt’s top exports to Sudan include plastic products, followed by sugar, barley mill products, starches, iron, fertilizers, glass, pharmaceuticals, and others. Meanwhile, Egypt’s main imports from Sudan include live animals, meat, oilseeds, fruits, and cotton.
Investments Worth 10 Billion USD
Dalil further noted that total Egyptian investments in Sudan amount to about 10.8 billion USD, concentrated mostly in livestock, industry, and real estate. These are distributed across around 229 projects, including 122 industrial projects in cement, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, plastics, marble, furniture, iron, and food industries; 90 service projects in contracting, banking, cold storage, irrigation, excavation, electricity services, laboratories, medical centers, and ICT; and 17 agricultural projects worth 89 million USD in crops, livestock, poultry, and fisheries.
By comparison, total Sudanese investments in Egypt during the same period reached about 97 million USD, represented by 315 Sudanese companies operating across industrial, financial, service, agricultural, construction, tourism, and telecommunications sectors. The industrial sector ranks first, with 73 companies investing 50.4 million USD, followed by the financial sector with 7 companies and 21.3 million USD.
Power Linkage Projects
Dalil confirmed Egypt’s efforts to implement the electricity interconnection project, through which Egypt will supply Sudan with about 300 megawatts in its first phase, an additional 600 megawatts in the second phase, and up to 3,000 megawatts in the final stage. The project is seen as vital to meeting Sudan’s electricity needs while also establishing Egypt as a corridor for transmitting and exporting electricity from Africa to Europe.
He also revealed the existence of projects in pharmaceuticals, leather, real estate, agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and a project to develop the Egyptian-Sudanese Navigation Company between Aswan and Halfa for transporting goods, people, and tourists. In addition, plans are underway for a joint industrial zone in Khartoum to boost industrial and commercial integration between the two countries.
Other projects include agro-industries, chemical industries, reclamation of 200,000 feddans in Blue Nile and Kassala states, a meat production project in White Nile state on an area of 40,000 feddans, reclamation of 18,000 feddans in East Nile agricultural project in Gezira state with investments of about 30 million USD, and the creation of a joint model farm for livestock production.
Dalil emphasized that these projects will bring about a qualitative shift in relations between Egypt and Sudan, paving the way for a better future for the two countries and their peoples, and encouraging future generations to pursue greater unity and cooperation along the same path.
Shortlink: https://sudanhorizon.com/?p=7646