President El-Sisi receives the President of the African Development Bank Group to enhance cooperation

Written by Mohamed Salem

President Abdel Fattah received SisiToday, Dr. Sidi Ould Tah, President of the African Development Bank Group, which includes the African Development Bank and the African Development Fund, was present, along with Hassan Abdallah, Acting Governor of the Central Bank and Governor of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the African Development Bank.

On behalf of the group, Dr. Khaled Sherif, Executive Director for Egypt and Djibouti, and Mohamed El Azizi, Director General of the Regional Office for Development and Service Delivery for North Africa.

The official spokesman for the Presidency of the Republic stated that President Sisi welcomed Dr. Sidi Ould Tah at the beginning of the meeting, stressing Egypt’s full support for him in his leadership of the African Development Bank Group since he took office in September 2025.

He pointed to the current economic and geopolitical challenges that are impacting development efforts in African countries, which reinforces the pivotal role of the Bank and the Fund in mobilizing financial resources and providing the necessary technical support to the countries of the continent.

Extended cooperation between Egypt and the group

For his part, the President of the African Development Bank Group expressed his pleasure at meeting President Sisi and his deep appreciation for the support that Egypt provides to the Group, stressing his commitment to working closely with the Egyptian government to enhance the longstanding cooperation between Egypt and the Group.

He congratulated Egypt on the economic reforms undertaken by the state over the past ten years, and on the resilience of the Egyptian economy in the face of global challenges, noting in this context the importance of studying the Egyptian experience and the benefit that African countries can derive from it.

Ambassador Mohamed El Shenawy, the official spokesperson, added that the meeting addressed the strategic partnership between Egypt and the bank, whether through Egyptian support to ensure the financial sustainability of the bank and the fund, or through ongoing and planned projects within the joint cooperation portfolio.

In this context, President Sisi appreciated the efforts made to prepare the new Country Cooperation Strategy between Egypt and the Bank (2027-2031), expressing his hope that this strategy would be consistent with national priorities and plans, especially Egypt Vision 2030, and that it would support the state’s efforts to enhance the role of the private sector as a key player in achieving sustainable and inclusive development.

President Sisi also stressed the importance of infrastructure projects for the African continent, as well as cross-border projects of consensus, which contribute to strengthening regional integration and achieving high standards of sustainability and developmental impact, in addition to their positive effects on the economies of countries, including facilitating the transport of goods and passengers.

Implementing prominent development projects in African countries

In this regard, President Sisi pointed to the great experience of Egyptian companies in implementing prominent development projects in African countries, stressing Egypt’s readiness to share its experiences with the Bank, the Fund and sister African countries, and emphasizing the need to make every effort and communicate with partners to mobilize the necessary financial resources to finance these projects on the continent.

The meeting also addressed developments related to Egypt’s hosting of the first edition of the African Business Forum in El Alamein in June 2026.

The meeting concluded with an affirmation of Egypt’s continued support for the African Development Bank Group and the commitment to further strengthening cooperation and joint coordination between the two sides.