Ghana and Egypt have agreed to deepen their cooperation in defence, pharmaceuticals, trade, and infrastructure. The agreement was reached during a bilateral meeting between President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on the sidelines of the 8th African Union Mid-Year Coordination Summit. The meeting also took place alongside the maiden Alamein Africa Forum in Egypt.
The discussions between President Mahama and President El-Sisi focused on strengthening the longstanding relationship between Ghana and Egypt while exploring new areas of cooperation to support economic development and regional security. The two leaders reflected on the historical ties between Ghana and Egypt, recalling the Pan-African vision shared by Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, and former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser.
President Mahama and President El-Sisi agreed that the historic relationship between Ghana and Egypt should provide a foundation for addressing contemporary development challenges across Africa. President Mahama expressed appreciation to Egypt for its support for Ghana’s resolution on reparations at the United Nations. He urged President El-Sisi to maintain that support as discussions on the issue continue.
The two leaders discussed measures to strengthen political consultations and expand commercial activities between Ghana and Egypt. Pharmaceuticals emerged as a key area of interest, with discussions focusing on facilitating the registration of Egyptian pharmaceutical products in Ghana. This aims to improve access to medicines and encourage investment in the sector.
Defence and regional security also featured prominently in the meeting. President Mahama expressed Ghana’s interest in expanding security cooperation with Egypt, particularly in intelligence sharing, capacity building, and counter-terrorism. He pointed to Egypt’s defence industry as a model from which Ghana could draw lessons as it seeks to strengthen its own security capabilities.
The discussions also covered support for the Sahel-Gulf of Guinea Accord and the development of social housing. On infrastructure and urban development, President Mahama said Ghana was interested in learning from Egypt’s experience in executing large-scale projects. This includes the development of Egypt’s New Administrative Capital, from which Ghana hopes to draw technical experience as it advances its own strategic plans for a new capital city.
The latest discussions come as both countries seek to broaden their longstanding relationship beyond political ties to include practical cooperation in trade, healthcare, security, and infrastructure development. Both countries are committed to exploring new areas of cooperation to support economic development and regional security.
Key points
- Ghana and Egypt have agreed to deepen cooperation in defence, pharmaceuticals, trade, and infrastructure.
- The agreement was reached during a bilateral meeting between President John Dramani Mahama and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
- The two countries aim to broaden their longstanding relationship beyond political ties to include practical cooperation in trade, healthcare, security, and infrastructure development.
