The meeting took place in Nairobi on the sidelines of the Egyptian
delegation’s participation, led by Prime Minister Dr. Moustafa Madbouly, in the
24th COMESA Summit hosted by Kenya.
El Khatib reaffirmed Egypt’s strong commitment to
strengthening trade relations with Kenya. He noted that both countries are
members of COMESA and among the bloc’s largest trading partners.
He also underscored Egypt’s keenness to deepen cooperation
with Kenya both bilaterally and within multilateral frameworks, in order to
advance regional economic integration.
The two ministers agreed on the importance of convening the
Joint Trade Committee between the two countries. They also stressed the need to
enhance the role of the business community in promoting bilateral trade and
investment.
In addition, they emphasized the importance of joint
cooperation at the regional level within the COMESA framework. The ministers
discussed facilitating trade flows among member states and addressing the
technical and logistical barriers that hinder intra-COMESA trade.
For his part, the Kenyan minister expressed his country’s
eagerness to strengthen cooperation with Egypt. He highlighted Kenya’s interest
in benefiting from Egypt’s expertise in the pharmaceutical industry and the
capabilities of Egyptian companies in the construction and building sectors.
Trade exchange between Egypt and Kenya reached USD 540
million in 2024. Egyptian exports amounted to around USD 340 million, while
imports from Kenya totaled about USD 200 million.
Egypt’s exports to Kenya are mainly concentrated in
packaging, building materials, chemicals, and food industries. Imports from
Kenya are primarily focused on tea.
The meeting was attended by Hatem Yousry, Egypt’s Ambassador
to Kenya; Karim Hamdy, Commercial Counselor and Head of the Egyptian Commercial
Office in Kenya; Amr El Bakry, Commercial Counselor at the Commercial
Representation; and Mohamed Abdallah, First Commercial Secretary at the
Commercial Representation.