Nardos Bekele-Thomas, CEO of the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD, hailed Egypt’s support for Africa’s development, highlighting the country’s role in advancing cooperation and economic integration across the continent.
In her address at the opening of the Alamein-Africa Business Forum in New Alamein City on Saturday, Bekele-Thomas expressed her appreciation to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi for hosting the forum and highlighted Egypt’s support for Africa during its presidency of the African Union.
Bekele-Thomas described New Alamein as an example of how ambition can be translated into tangible development, pointing to the city’s tourism, infrastructure and business sectors as elements that demonstrate Egypt’s development potential.
She said Africa is achieving significant growth despite ongoing challenges, stressing the need to strengthen a shared sense of continental identity and expand investment and intra-African trade to help African economies secure stronger positions in regional and global markets.
The NEPAD chief called on African leaders and business leaders to increase investment across African countries, emphasizing the continent’s young population and the importance of providing young Africans with the support needed to shape Africa’s future.
Also, Bekele-Thomas highlighted Africa’s substantial economic potential across multiple sectors and said the Alamein-Africa Business Forum would be held every two years to strengthen economic cooperation among African countries.
She further affirmed the importance of supporting the private sector as a key driver of economic growth and innovation and as an important partner in advancing the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
She concluded her remarks by calling for greater policy coordination and closer cooperation among African countries to advance the continent’s development ambitions.
