Egypt to implement Arab Africa Trade Bridge programme in December

Egypt will start implementing the Arab Africa Trade Bridges (AATB) programme, which was launched by the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), during this month, Egypt’s Minister of Trade and Industry Nevine Gamea said.

Gamea added that the AATB programme will last until the end of September 2021. She noted that the programme aims to enhance capacity of Egyptian exporters and encourage exporting to new markets in Africa.

The minister said that the Export Development Authority (EDA) would implement the programme in Egypt in cooperation with the ITFC, export councils, and the Federation of Egyptian Industries.

Hani Salem Sonbol, CEO of the ITFC, affirmed the corporation’s keenness to enhance cooperation with the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the EDA in Egypt, adding that the AATB programme comes at the core of the Corporation’s strategy to promote trade in the continent.

Ruba Zayed, CEO of the EDA, explained that the AATB programme aims to finance a number of export development programmes implemented by the authority to support the access of Egyptian exports to African markets.

Zayed pointed out that the programme will start by holding a workshop in Cairo by the end of December 2020, followed by a number of workshops in Alexandria, Damietta, Port Said, and Aswan for Egyptian companies in certain sectors.

The training aims to raise awareness of export opportunities in the African market as well as the technical requirements and specifications required to enter the promising African countries and provide export planning and guidance services to educate exporting companies about mechanisms of accessing African markets, she elaborated.

Zayed further noted that the programme targets some export sectors, including building materials, chemical industries, medical and pharmaceutical industries, engineering industries, printing, packaging, paper products, and furniture.

“African countries to which the programme aims to increase Egyptian exports include Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Rwanda in the east, along with Senegal, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, and Guinea in the west, as well as South Africa, Angola, Zambia, and Zimbabwe in the south,” she said.