Minister of Trade and Industry Mounir Fakhry Abdel-Nour said that Egypt has called for a meeting on 18 January to discuss African unified positions in World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, specifically in issues of development, trade liberalization and storage of food commodities.
The meeting would also discuss an agenda for the meeting of trade ministers of 31 countries on the sidelines of the Davos Forum on 24 January in Switzerland.
“We will also coordinate arrangements for the WTO Ministerial Conference in Nairobi in December,” Abdel Nour said, adding that it would be the first time that the conference is held in an African country.
These statements came at the Kenyan Egyptian Business Forum in Nairobi, which was attended by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shokry, Kenyan Foreign and International Trade Minister Amina Mohamed, and more than 200 businessmen from both sides.
Abdel Nour also said that he signed a framework trade agreement with Kenya to establish a joint trade committee to enhance intra-regional trade and remove obstacles. The committee, which would be headed by the trade ministers of both countries, would meet every six months.
He also agreed to form a joint business council of 10 members from each country in various economic sectors.
“Egypt seeks to achieve economic integration between the various economic blocs of the continent,” he said, pointing out that the integration of the three biggest African blocs of SADC, COMESA and East Africa into one entity in the next few months will undoubtedly open new markets and remove trade obstacles for the member states.
