Egypt seeks to expand exports to Africa as intra-African trade reaches $214bn

Egypt is seeking to expand its exports to African markets by diversifying destinations, strengthening commercial partnerships and improving access for Egyptian products, Industry Minister Khaled Hashem said. Speaking at “Scaling Egypt’s Industrial Champions” forum organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt (AmCham Egypt) in cooperation with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), Hashem said Africa offers significant potential for Egyptian exporters, particularly in industrial, agricultural, engineering and building-materials products. The event, attended by AmCham Egypt Chairman Omar Mehanna, Afreximbank executives and representatives of the business community, brought together government officials, exporters and development finance specialists to discuss ways to expand Egypt’s commercial presence across African markets.

Hashem noted that intra-African trade reached approximately $214bn in 2025, marking an annual increase of 5. 5%, while total African merchandise trade stood at around $1. 5trn. Egypt accounted for approximately 4. 4% of intra-African trade, equivalent to around $9. 3bn, according to figures cited by the minister. He said the figures demonstrate both the scale of Africa’s existing trade and the room for Egypt to increase its presence in the continent’s markets. “There is something abnormal about these figures,” Hashem said, referring to Egypt’s share of intra-African trade in relation to its industrial capabilities and production capacity. He stressed that increasing Egyptian exports to global markets remains a central government objective and a key performance indicator for the industrial sector. Africa, however, offers particularly significant opportunities for rapid export growth, potentially allowing Egyptian exports to multiply over…