Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Experts Discuss "Egypt and Africa: Hopes and Challenges" Symposium


Fri 08 Mar 2019 | 05:31 PM
Hassan El-Khawaga

By Jude Nazeer

CAIRO, March 8 (SEE) — Within the framework of Egypt's presidency of the African Union, the Strategic Forum for Development and Social Peace in association with Egypt’s Public Library in Giza organized an important symposium entitled "Egypt and Africa: Hopes and Challenges."

During the seminar, Ambassador Salah Halima, Vice-President of the Egyptian Council for African Affairs, said that the presence of religious, historical, and economic bonds, in addition to the common interests among all African countries, is undeniable and will surely reinforce the ties among them.

Ambassador Halima added that after President El-Sisi assumed the presidency of the African Union, an Arab-African summit as well as an African-European summit should be held to discuss ways of cooperation in the coming period. He stressed that water security is an integral part of national security. It is also linked to Africa as well as the Red Sea and its role in bringing closer the relations between the Gulf states and African countries.

Halima affirmed that one of the most important political challenges is to confront terrorist organizations that exist in some of these countries, such as Boko Haram and Al Shabaab. As for the economic challenges, he stated that a free trade area should be established and Egypt should be interested in African investment, as well as African-Egyptian and Arab investments.

On the other hand, Dr. Alaa Rizk, President of the Strategic Forum for Development and Social Peace, pointed out that Egypt's real approach in Africa is through education, science, and technology, describing them as the most powerful weapon to change the world. He asserted that education enabled Egypt to lead the African nation, particularly during the era of Nasser, in contrast to the years that followed, where Egypt deviated from its African environment.

Rizk also stressed the need for a strong media strategy with the presence of an African satellite and radio stations. This will ensure the existence of consensus visions on many of the African issues. In addition, he asserted on the importance of African economic blocs fusion, describing it as a breakthrough towards the African dream as a unified region.

He also explained the idea of activating the road between Cairo and Cape Town in South Africa, which will accelerate the real economic unity resulting in the multiplication of Egyptian investments 5 times what it is now.

In addition, the president of the Strategic Forum for Development, hinted at the establishment of an African medical hospital in Aswan. This will open the door for African donations, which will in no way fall short of 20 billion pounds annually.

On his part, Dr. Farag Abdul Fattah Farag, Professor of Economics at the Faculty of African Studies, Cairo University, called for the establishment of the African Council of Elders. The council should be concerned with ending all forms of disputes between African countries, as well as activating and monitoring the 2063 strategy for Africa to eradicate poverty, ignorance, and disease. Farag added that there is a great cooperation between the strategy of Egypt 2030 and the strategy of Africa 2063 .

Conversely, Dr. Ahmad Abdel-Dayem, Professor of African Studies, Cairo University, declared that the approach of Arabism and Islam to Africa is what led to the flourishing of Islamic culture and civilization in Egypt during the Mamluk era. Whilst media expert Magdy El-Sayyed pointed to the important role of the media in promoting Egyptian-African relations and its role in correcting the wrong image of the peoples of the African continent.