Egyptian exports to COMESA countries increased to US$2.3 billion during the first nine months of 2021, compared to $1.7 billion during the same period in 2020, an increase of 32.4 percent according to Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) data.
The COMESA member states include Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tunisia, Somalia, Seychelles, Burundi, Congo, Comoros, Malawi, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Madagascar, Waziland, Eritrea, and Swaziland.
The value of Egyptian imports from the COMESA countries reached $901 million during the first nine months of 2021 compared to $721 million during the same period in 2020, an increase of 25 percent.
The value of trade exchange between Egypt and the COMESA countries recorded $3.1 billion during the first nine months of 2021, compared to $2.4 billion during the same period in 2020 – an increase of 30.2 percent.
Libya topped the list of the top five COMESA countries in importing from Egypt during the first nine months of 2021, as the value of Egypt’s exports to Libya recorded $711 million during this period.
Sudan came in second place with $588 million, followed by Kenya with $284 million, then Tunisia with $202 million, and finally Ethiopia with $80 million.
Plastics topped the list of the most important commodities exported by Egypt to the COMESA countries during the first nine months of 2021, recording $236 million, followed by salt, sulfur, stones and cement with $136 million, and then fuel, mineral oils and its distillation products at $136 million.
Sudan ranked first in the list of the top five COMESA countries exporting to Egypt during the first nine months of 2021 – Egypt’s imports from Sudan during this period amounted to $258 million.
Zambia came in second place with $251 million, then Kenya with $173 million, then Libya with $68 million, and finally Tunisia with $56 million.
Copper and its products came on top of the list of the most important commodities that Egypt imported from the COMESA countries from January to September, recording $297 million, followed by coffee, tea, mate, spices and seeds at $159 million, and live animals at $147 million.
