Sisi Receives AfCFTA Secretary-General

On Sunday, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received Wamkele Mene, secretary-general of the African Continental Free Trade Area "AfCFTA", presidency spokesman Bassam Rady said.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli, and Minister of Trade and Industry Nivine Gamaa.

The spokesman added that the meeting tackled ways to activate the AfCFTA agreement following its official launch early 2021."

At the outset of the meeting, Sisi affirmed Egypt's full support for the activities of the agreement, which represents a promising start towards continental integration in Africa.

The president added that Egypt is fully prepared to provide its expertise in this regard in order to activate the free trade zone, underlining the importance of the stability factor in creating an environment conducive for the success of the agreement's efforts and activities.

On his part, Mene expressed his appreciation for the great attention paid by Sisi to the steps taken to launch the AfCFTA during Egypt's presidency of the African Union (AU).

In addition, he highlighted the pivotal role of the agreement in supporting development efforts in the continent via linking African markets together, in order to revitalize the industrial and agricultural sectors in African countries and develop the continent's economic system.

AfCFTA Secretary-General also affirmed his keenness to benefit from the inspiring development experience currently underway in Egypt to boost AfCFTA efforts and achieve its success.