Ahmed Salem
Ambassador Ahmed Sharif received Egyptian Ambassador South Africa, Botswana and Lesotho, and Egypt’s Permanent Representative to the SADC, Soheir Abdelkader, the Egyptian film expert and head of the “Our Children” Foundation for the Arts of People with Special Abilities, on the occasion of her visit to South Africa to participate in the Nelson Mandela Children’s Film Festival 2026.
The Egyptian ambassador expressed his appreciation for Soheir Abdel Qader’s career and her extensive contributions to supporting children’s cinema, and for her pioneering initiatives in empowering children and people with special needs through art and creativity, offering his congratulations on the occasion of her being honored during the Nelson Mandela Festival, in recognition of her contributions to the cultural and cinematic field.
The ambassador affirmed the Egyptian Embassy in Pretoria’s commitment to continuing to support cultural and artistic initiatives that promote dialogue between peoples and highlight the contributions of Egyptian creators in the humanitarian and cultural fields, considering them as one of the important bridges for communication between peoples.
Egypt and South Africa discuss launching a joint business council
On another note, Ambassador Ahmed Sharif, Egypt's ambassador to South Africa Botswana and Lesotho, and Egypt’s Permanent Representative to the SADC, with Mr. Simbwe Hamilton, Director-General of the South African Ministry of Trade, Industry and Competition, with the participation of Dr. Magid George, Chairman of the Egyptian side of the “Egyptian-South African Business Council” currently being launched, and Eng. Medhat Lotfy, member of the Egyptian side of the Council, and in the presence of the Commercial Office of the Embassy.
The meeting addressed the ongoing arrangements for launching the “Egyptian-South African Business Council,” and ways to advance this important mechanism to be an effective platform for enhancing direct communication between the business communities in the two countries, and supporting trade, investment and joint projects opportunities between Egypt and South Africa.
The Egyptian ambassador’s discussions also included a number of topics of bilateral economic and trade cooperation, most notably ways to enhance coordination and consultation on opportunities to establish mutual logistics zones, in light of what was agreed upon during the mutual visits between the two countries’ trade ministers at the end of last year.
The Egyptian Ambassador hosted a dinner in honor of Dr. Magid George’s visit to South Africa, in the presence of a number of members of the South African side of the Business Council that is being launched, as part of efforts to accelerate communication between the Egyptian and South African sides, and to formulate practical steps to advance economic cooperation between the two countries.
