Egypt's Permanent Representative to SADC hosts a promotional event for the African Business Forum
With the participation of NEPAD, the African Development Bank and the African Export-Import Bank
Written by Mohamed Omran
Ahmed Sharif, Egypt's ambassador to South Africa Botswana and Lesotho, and Egypt’s Permanent Representative to the SADC, held an economic event in Pretoria to promote the first African Business Forum “Alamein Forum 2026”, scheduled to be held in New Alamein City from June 25 to 27, 2026, and to highlight recent developments in the Egyptian economy.
Representatives of the entities involved in organizing the forum participated in the event, most notably Ms. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, CEO of the AUDA-NEPAD agency, Mr. Fernando Balderrama, Investment Officer at the African Development Bank (AfDB) office in South Africa, and Mr. Ronnie Ntuli, Board Member of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and Chairman of the South African infrastructure investment group Thelo.
The event featured a presentation outlining the objectives and themes of the “El Alamein Forum 2026.” Ambassador Ahmed Sherif highlighted the significant economic potential of the African continent, including its market size, human resources, and the opportunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). He emphasized that the primary challenge lies in implementing agreed-upon development projects in a way that ensures the optimal utilization of the continent's resources and capabilities. He noted that this is precisely the goal of the “El Alamein Forum,” which aims to provide a continental platform bringing together governments, financial institutions, and the private sector to explore business, investment, and partnership opportunities within the continent.
The Egyptian ambassador called on representatives of the business community and African ambassadors participating in the event to encourage participation in the forum and promote it in their countries.
Ms. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, CEO of AUDA-NEPAD, emphasized that the El Alamein Forum aims not only to provide a platform for dialogue and the exchange of ideas, but primarily to serve as a practical platform for building investment partnerships between governments, the private sector, and African and international financial institutions. She also invited the South African and African private sectors to actively participate in the forum and capitalize on the investment and partnership opportunities that will be presented during its events.
For his part, Ronnie Ntuli, a member of the Board of Directors of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and Chairman of the Thelo Group, praised Egypt's development experience and the significant achievements it has made in recent years in the infrastructure, energy, and urban development sectors. He affirmed that Egypt provides a model for the ability of African countries to implement world-class infrastructure projects.
Ronnie Ntuli also highlighted Egypt's results-based approach to evaluating its development experience, noting that Egypt does not merely assess its progress by examining the policies it adopts, but also measures the tangible results achieved on the ground. This allows for a more accurate evaluation based on actual implementation and the real impact of projects. He also invited South African and African companies to actively participate in the forum and build new economic and investment partnerships.
For his part, Fernando Balderrama, Investment Officer at the African Development Bank (AfDB) office in South Africa, emphasized the crucial role Egypt plays in establishing platforms that bolster the African investment agenda and support partnerships within the continent. He noted that Egypt and South Africa exemplify the importance of regional leadership in the coming phase. He also stressed that achieving African economic growth requires deepening continental integration and regional value chains, and transforming continental aspirations and visions into viable and investable projects.
Ambassador Salih Omar Abdu, Eritrea’s ambassador to South Africa and dean of the diplomatic corps in South Africa, also stressed the importance of the “El Alamein Forum” as an important step towards combining efforts to implement the planned development projects for the African continent.
The event was also an opportunity to highlight the positive developments in the Egyptian economy, despite the challenges posed by regional circumstances.
The event, moderated by Mr. Goodwill Kachingwe of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), saw wide participation from senior representatives of the South African business community, African ambassadors accredited in Pretoria, including the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and the Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps, as well as senior officials representing the South African government, and representatives of the media, research centers and South African think tanks.
