The establishment of the African Trade Centre reflects Egypt’s pivotal role in advancing continental economic integration and facilitating trade, Egypt’s Prime Minister Madbouly said Saturday.

Madbouly added during his speech at the official groundbreaking ceremony for the African Trade Centre (AATC) and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) headquarters in Cairo, that Egypt, as host country of Afreximbank’s headquarters, is strengthening its partnership with the bank through a facility designed to serve as a hub for trade information, capacity building, innovation, and regional connectivity.

Madbouly emphasized that African economic integration is essential for sustainable growth and for enhancing the continent’s global standing. 

He pointed to the importance of creating a unified African market capable of boosting intra-African trade and investment, supporting industrialization, and developing regional value chains, while reducing reliance on raw material exports.

He added that strong African economic alliances are critical to Egypt’s continued growth and its path toward sustainable development. Such partnerships, he said, open access to expanding African consumer markets for Egyptian exports, diversify foreign currency sources, and create investment opportunities for Egyptian companies across sectors including construction, energy, and telecommunications.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the strategic importance of Egypt’s role as a regional hub linking Africa with the Middle East and Europe, noting that deeper economic ties contribute to managing cross-border challenges and supporting energy security through regional infrastructure connectivity.

Madbouly underlined Afreximbank’s role as a key financial partner for Egypt, particularly during challenging global periods, including economic reform phases, the Covid-19 pandemic, and recent geopolitical crises. He noted that the bank supports Egyptian companies’ participation in engineering, procurement, and construction projects across at least 15 African countries, in addition to financing industrial and energy-related projects.

He further pointed to Afreximbank’s contribution to Egypt’s health security through the provision of 26 million vaccine doses under the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) initiative, as well as cooperation in continental programs aimed at boosting agricultural production, food manufacturing, and trade.

According to Madbouly, the African Trade Centre is expected to host trade information platforms, market monitoring tools, and facilities for training, research, and innovation, in addition to serving as a venue for major trade and investment events aligned with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

He concluded by saying that the centre’s location in the New Administrative Capital reinforces Egypt’s position as a continental gateway for investment, trade, and diplomacy, complementing its role as host of Afreximbank’s headquarters and a founding member of the institution.