Egypt and Gambia: Fruitful cooperation and decades-long relations

Relations between Egypt and Gambia For decades, the two countries have enjoyed strong ties at all levels, stemming from their shared history in the African continent and their strategic cooperation in all fields.

Since the era of the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt has made great efforts to support the Gambia, especially in supporting its efforts to gain independence from British colonialism. It was among the first countries to recognize independent Gambia in 1965 in support of the liberation of African countries.

Political and economic relations between Egypt and Gambia

Egypt and Gambia have strong political and economic ties, with Cairo coordinating with Banjul on all bilateral issues and common files, in a way that serves the interests of all African peoples.

Egypt and Gambia maintain continuous coordination and constant communication at the presidential level, foreign ministers and all officials to consult on various issues of common interest.

The latest of these was the telephone call between President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, on Wednesday, and President Adama Barrow, President of the Republic of Gambia, and the reception by Dr. Badr Abdel-Aty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptians Abroad, on April 1, of Serigne Modou Njie, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Gambia.

On the economic level, there are many Egyptian goods that the Gambian market needs, and many Gambian goods that Egypt also imports.

There are also many investment opportunities for the private sector in both countries, especially in agricultural manufacturing, agricultural development, tourism, and others, especially with the increasing importance of tourism as an important sector in the economies of both Egypt and Gambia.

In 2023, the economic forum between Egypt and Gambia was held in Cairo, with the participation of economic and trade officials and a number of businessmen from both countries.

It was emphasized that the Gambian market is open to Egyptian investments in all industrial, agricultural, manufacturing and service sectors, and Egyptian businessmen and investors were invited to invest in Gambia, and to increase Egyptian investments to the Gambian state to work on increasing joint trade exchange.

Joint agreements between the two countries

In recent years, several joint agreements have been signed between Egypt and Gambia, including an agreement on exporting Egyptian medicine to Gambia, a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the agricultural field, a memorandum of understanding in the field of administrative development and training between Egypt and Gambia, and an agreement for cultural and artistic cooperation and the exchange of experts, which came shortly after the declaration of Gambia’s independence.

Also, an agreement relating to cooperation in the field of youth and the exchange of youth delegations between the two countries, and a memorandum of understanding to utilize Egyptian expertise to provide the necessary technical support for the implementation of Gambian projects in the field of communications and information technology.

This includes the signing of a letter of intent between the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the Gambian Ministry of Information and Communications Infrastructure regarding cooperation in several areas of communications and information technology. Egypt Post also signed a cooperation protocol with Gambia in the field of e-commerce.

Egyptian Medical Center in Gambia

The Egyptian Medical Center project in Gambia is one of the most prominent and largest Egyptian investments in the African continent, specifically in West Africa. The project includes diagnostic and specialized clinics.

Work on the project began in 2019, with the first phase launching with diagnostic and specialized clinics, and the second phase was opened in 2025.

The Gambian Vice President said about the project: “The opening of the Egyptian Medical Center is a very important step for the health sector, and our medical partnership with Egypt is very strong.”.

The center serves citizens of The Gambia as well as foreign residents, as well as citizens of neighboring countries in West Africa, saving time and costs for patients.