Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Wealth, Karim Badawi, met with Namrata Thapar, Global Director of Mining and Minerals at the World Bank, to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in developing Egypt's mining sector. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Egypt Mining Forum 2026, held in the New Administrative Capital on September 28-29. Thapar is one of the main speakers at the forum, representing the World Bank.
Minister Badawi stated that the Egyptian government aims to significantly increase the mining sector's contribution to the country's GDP to around 6%, up from less than 1% currently. This goal is to be achieved by developing the mining industry's framework and creating a more attractive investment environment. The minister emphasized the importance of translating cooperation with the World Bank into tangible projects and initiatives.
Badawi outlined three main areas of cooperation with the World Bank: building human capacity and developing the skills of Egypt's mining workforce, supporting value-added projects, particularly in the phosphate and fertilizer industries, and assisting emerging mining companies in exploration stages. He stressed the need for coordination among various government ministries and agencies to address challenges facing investments in the sector.
Namrata Thapar expressed the World Bank's interest in providing initial financing to support Egypt's mining sector. She highlighted the importance of capacity building as a starting point for enhanced cooperation, with a focus on supporting private sector projects, especially in phosphate and related industries. Thapar also mentioned collaboration with the Egyptian government to prepare a minerals roadmap, assessing the country's geological potential and requirements for mineral development.
The two parties agreed on the importance of considering mining as an integrated value chain, from exploration and geological resources to infrastructure, financing, mining, processing, manufacturing, and export. This approach aims to maximize the value added from Egypt's mineral wealth, rather than merely producing and exporting raw materials. They also agreed to continue coordination to identify priorities for initial financing and support for emerging mining companies.
The meeting concluded with an agreement to continue working on the minerals roadmap, which will help convert mining opportunities into actual projects and attract more investments to the sector. The Egyptian government is committed to working with investors and international institutions as a unified team to overcome challenges and accelerate project implementation.
Key points
- Egypt aims to increase the mining sector's contribution to GDP to 6%
- World Bank to provide initial financing to support Egypt's mining sector
- Cooperation to focus on capacity building, value-added projects, and supporting emerging mining companies
