The “Africa 2018” forum held in Sharm al-Sheikh comes amid aspirations to achieve greater regional integration and to facilitate intraregional trade as well as increase investments between African countries, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said.. In his speech at the opening session of the forum, Sisi said that Egypt aspires to achieve these goals through joint work under the umbrella of the African Union, which will be chaired by Egypt in 2019. He reviewed the needs of African reform programs to meet its citizens needs and to cope with advanced technology, the digital economy and international efforts to address climate change. The president added that Africa needs to pump investment in various fields in order for the reform process to be carried out effectively. Sisi referred to Egypt’s keenness to increase its investments in Africa, saying it rose during 2018 from US $1.2 billion to $10.2 billion.

Source: Egypt Independent December 10, 2018 11:23 UTC