Eng. Hassan Al-Khatib, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, inaugurated the activities of Bahrain - Egypt Business Forum In the heart of Cairo, a group of prominent personalities attended, including Noor bint Ali Al-Khalif, Minister of Sustainable Development and CEO of the Economic Development Council of the Kingdom of Bahrain, as well as Abdullah bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Trade of Bahrain, and Dr. Ahmed Kajouk, Minister of Finance of Egypt, in addition to a number of businessmen and investors from both countries.
In his opening speech, the Minister expressed his warm welcome to the Bahraini delegation, noting the deep brotherly relations between Egypt and Bahrain and its strong strategic partnership.
Al-Khatib said that Bahrain is considered one of the most important investment partners for Egypt, where the volume of Bahraini investments is expected to reach about $450 million in 2024, distributed among more than 237 companies active in various fields such as finance, industry, tourism, services and real estate. The volume of trade between the two countries in that year amounted to about $ 35.27 million.
Developmental achievements of Egypt
The minister pointed to Egypt’s development achievements in recent years, where it ranked first in Africa and ninth globally in attracting foreign direct investment in 2024. The Egyptian government seeks to consolidate these successes by introducing continuous reforms aimed at improving the investment environment, while aiming to reach the top 50 countries in the global competitiveness indicators over the next two years.
Al-Khatib stressed that Egypt is now more willing to receive international investments, taking advantage of its strategic location and wide network of free trade agreements, making it a major gateway to regional and African markets, and giving Bahraini investors promising opportunities to expand in those markets.
He also referred to the advanced expertise of the Bahraini economy in the areas of financial services, energy and quality industries, making it an ideal partner for Egypt in achieving economic integration and establishing innovative joint ventures that support sustainable development plans and open new horizons for cooperation in the fields of industry, renewable energy and the digital economy.
Accelerating development through large national projects
The minister pointed out that the Egyptian government seeks to accelerate development through large national projects such as the Suez Canal Economic Zone and the New Administrative Capital, in addition to mega infrastructure projects, stressing the importance of effective participation of Bahraini investments in these projects to enhance the position of the two countries as major centers of regional development.
The minister concluded by describing the forum as a new starting point in the strategic cooperation between Egypt and Bahrain, stressing the importance of holding it periodically to enhance communication channels in order to reach fruitful agreements that benefit both parties.
