Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi co-chaired a high-level summit of the founding nations of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) in the Mediterranean city of New Alamein. The summit marked the 25th anniversary of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and brought together leaders from the five founding member states, including Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa. Also in attendance were Burundian President and current African Union Chairperson Évariste Ndayishimiye, AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, and AUDA-NEPAD CEO Nardos Bekele-Thomas.
In his opening address, President Al-Sisi emphasized that true development cannot be imported but must be forged by the will, knowledge, and innovation of the continent’s people. He stated that the time had come for Africa to rely more on its own resources and to build and adopt African financing mechanisms. Al-Sisi described NEPAD as the indispensable executive arm translating Agenda 2063 into tangible reality. He highlighted Egypt’s tenure chairing the NEPAD steering committee and noted that Cairo prioritized bridging severe developmental funding gaps.
President Al-Sisi pointed to the creation of the biennial Alamein Africa Business Forum as a direct initiative to mobilize cross-border investments and support the second ten-year implementation plan of Agenda 2063. He also noted that Egypt had pushed for the establishment of an African Union development fund under the “Team Africa” initiative to enhance the continent’s collective project execution capabilities. The Egyptian leader stressed that empowering the African private sector requires governments to build a favorable investment climate through infrastructure development, legislative reform, and political stability.
Angolan President João Lourenço, who co-chaired the summit and assumed the chairmanship of the AUDA-NEPAD steering committee in February 2026, praised Egypt’s leadership over the past three years. He echoed Al-Sisi’s call for self-reliance, urging member states to provide predictable, voluntary financial contributions to AUDA-NEPAD. Lourenço noted that Angola had made a voluntary financial contribution the previous year and highlighted the success of recent continental infrastructure initiatives, such as the Lobito Corridor and the recent Luanda Summit on infrastructure financing.
President Lourenço announced plans to establish an AUDA-NEPAD presence in Angola to bring the agency closer to its member states. The summit concluded with the adoption of the “Alamein Declaration,” which reaffirmed NEPAD’s central role as the continent’s premier development agency. The declaration elevated the African private sector as a critical driver for growth and formally welcomed the Alamein Africa Business Forum as a permanent biennial platform.
The first Alamein Africa Forum opened on Friday in the northern Egyptian coastal city of El Alamein, bringing together around 1,500 African business leaders to discuss investment, trade, and economic cooperation. The forum, co-organized by the Egyptian government, the African Export-Import Bank, and the African Union Development Agency, aims to promote greater economic integration and business cooperation across the continent. The forum ran from October 2 to 4.
The Alamein Declaration and the outcomes of the Alamein Africa Forum are expected to have a significant impact on Africa’s development trajectory. The declaration and the forum’s discussions underscored the importance of innovative development financing, continental self-reliance, and private-sector-led growth. The Egyptian government and AUDA-NEPAD are expected to follow up on the commitments made during the summit and the forum.
Key points
- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi called for innovative development financing and continental self-reliance during the AUDA-NEPAD summit.
- The summit concluded with the adoption of the “Alamein Declaration,” which reaffirmed NEPAD’s central role as the continent’s premier development agency.
- The Alamein Africa Forum brought together around 1,500 African business leaders to discuss investment, trade, and economic cooperation.
