Egypt and South Africa launch business council to deepen trade

Egypt and South Africa launched a joint business council on Friday, creating a forum intended to turn closer political ties into trade and investment projects between the two countries.

Egypt’s State Information Service said Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty took part in the launch on 2 October during an event focused on investment in Africa’s automotive sector.

The event was organised by Egypt’s Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the South African side. Egypt Today also reported the launch, citing Egyptian foreign ministry spokesperson Nader Zaki.

Abdelatty identified mining and minerals, manufacturing, renewable energy, agriculture, food processing and pharmaceuticals as areas for closer business cooperation. Transport, logistics, ports and infrastructure were also priorities.

He called for stronger links between northern and southern Africa, including logistics zones in both countries and regular shipping services. He said the Suez Canal and the two countries’ ports could be used more effectively to support trade.

The minister also pointed to both countries’ BRICS membership and South Africa’s membership of Afreximbank as opportunities to support financing and projects involving private companies.

The council’s launch follows earlier efforts to establish the body. During a meeting with South African Deputy International Relations Minister Thandi Moraka in December 2025, Abdelatty called for its formation to be completed, according to the State Information Service.

Friday’s announcement did not set out an investment total, name contracts signed or provide a timetable for the proposed logistics links. Those proposals remain ambitions for the council’s work rather than completed projects.

File photo: Containers at the Port of Durban, photographed in July 2010, illustrating the logistics sector. Photo: Christophe Badoux / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Display crops remain under the same licence.