Hala Al-Saeed: Training of exporters is consistent with the objectives of the structural reforms program برنامج
Nevin Gamea: Egypt adopts an ambitious action plan to strengthen trade and economic relations with African countries
We are keen to upgrade the capabilities and skills of Egyptian exporting companies to enter the African market
Hani Salem Sonbol: A leading role for the Arab-African Trade Bridges Program to advance regional integration
The activities of the first program to train exporters, which was held during the period from 6-10 June, on “Entering into African Markets”, was concluded and organized by the Export Development Authority in cooperation with the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation under the umbrella of the Arab-African Trade Bridges Program, under the auspices of Nevin Jameh, Minister of Trade and Industry, with the participation of Dr. Hala Al-Saeed, Minister of Planning and Economic Development and Governor of Egypt at the Islamic Development Bank Group.
The closing ceremony was attended by Eng. Hani Sonbol, CEO of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation, Minister of Trade Commissioner Mamdouh Salman, Head of the Export Development Authority, and Dr. Sherif El-Gabaly, Chairman of the African Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives.
During her speech, Hala Al-Saeed, Minister of Planning and Economic Development and Governor of Egypt at the Islamic Development Bank Group, praised the program for training exporters to enter African markets, which comes under the umbrella of the Arab-African Trade Bridges Program, which in turn aims to enhance trade between Arab countries and African countries and maximize the use of the promising economic opportunities available. In this field, within the framework of an operating plan aimed at enhancing the efficiency of people and public and private institutions related to trade, with the establishment of a virtual platform aimed at establishing partnerships and linking trade support institutions, policy makers and other participants in the field of international trade.
Al-Saeed added that the first program to train Egyptian exporters, through which exporting companies were sensitized to the mechanisms of access to African markets, benefited export and marketing managers and specialists from 50 companies from the targeted exporting sectors in many fields.
Al-Saeed stressed that the program for training exporters to enter African markets is fully consistent with the objectives of the National Structural Reform Program, which aims to develop the performance of the Egyptian economy, localize technology, raise the competitiveness of Egyptian exports, raise its efficiency, enhance sectors capable of penetrating foreign markets, raise export rates, and diversify exported goods, products and services.
Al-Saeed explained that the deepening of cooperation with the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation is an extension of a successful process that included many important programs that are already being implemented, most notably the Aid for Trade Initiative program, referring to the She Trades Egypt project, which aims to achieve empowerment. Women’s economic support to support comprehensive and sustainable development and contribute to economic growth.
Dr. Hala Al-Saeed pointed out that the discussions with Engineer Hani Sonbol, CEO of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation, included discussing the implementation of an additional number of important programs that are being implemented, most notably the creation of a virtual trade portal showing the map of producers and exporters, with the aim of providing needs by relying on National products and the encouragement of local supply chains as well as the promotion of export efforts, as well as the establishment of export incubators, within the framework of attention to small producers and exporters, in addition to the establishment of an export academy, which can contribute to capacity-building and the creation of trained cadres of exporters, in line with the capacity building and training axis that It is of paramount importance to Egypt, as it is one of the meeting points for the various axes of the development plans and programs of the Egyptian state, within the framework of the state's direction and its quest to expand investment in people, build capacities and create cadres capable of actively contributing to development efforts.
Al-Saeed added that all of these programs come within the framework of fruitful cooperation with the Foundation and its remarkable development activity, along the course of cooperation and development that lasted for many years and has so far resulted in a cooperation portfolio worth about $12.5 billion, stressing the desire of both sides. Seriousness in continuing and intensifying this cooperation in the next stage.
Al-Saeed pointed to the existing balance of cooperation between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Corporation through the General Authority for Supply Commodities and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation, with the aim of enhancing their ability to mitigate the economic repercussions of the pandemic, stressing Egypt's constant keenness to activate cooperation with international development partners from all regional and international financing institutions, In the forefront of which is the Islamic Development Bank Group, in addition to the distinguished cooperation and partnership between Egypt and all member institutions of the Bank Group, which covers various and important development areas.
Mrs. Nevin Gamea said that the African market is one of the most important strategic markets for Egyptian exports in various productive sectors, noting the importance of strengthening joint efforts to benefit from all the ingredients and trade potentials and regional trade agreements in the African continent to increase Egyptian exports to African markets.
The Minister pointed out the importance of this program in raising the capabilities and skills of Egyptian exporting companies to enter African markets, pointing out that the program comes within the framework of the directives of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to reach Egyptian exports to $ 100 billion annually, as the African continent is a promising market for exports, and an annual increase can be achieved. In Egyptian exports through the African market.
Gamea added that the program reflects the state's orientation towards promising African markets, and thus contributes to achieving the ministry's strategy to develop exports, noting that Egyptian exports to the markets of the African continent amounted to about $3.9 billion last year, which represents less than 1% of the continent's imports.
The minister pointed out that within the framework of the strategic direction to strengthen trade and economic relations with the countries of the African continent, the ministry has prepared an action plan to move towards Africa and to enhance benefiting from the regional integration agreements signed between Egypt and its various partners from African countries and groupings, where the action plan is based on a number of main axes. The first is the trade axis, which focuses on maximizing the benefit of trade agreements with African countries by overcoming all obstacles facing Egyptian exports and following up on technical negotiations on customs reductions and rules of origin under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA), which includes (55) African countries.
The action plan also includes a logistics axis, which focuses on completing the system of logistic centers, coordinating with national authorities to overcome obstacles to direct air transport, in addition to cooperating with the Ministry of Transport to study the operation of direct shipping lines for African countries, especially for West African countries.
From this point of view, Gamea affirmed Egypt's keenness to build bridges of economic cooperation between the countries of the African continent and to draw a clear road map towards African industrial integration through the exchange of ideas and unification of visions to serve the deepening of industrial and commercial cooperation between the countries of the continent, where the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area represents a real achievement. Towards African Economic Integration.
The minister explained that this training program comes within the activities proposed with the Islamic Foundation to implement several training programs and awareness workshops to raise the capabilities of Egyptian exporters in introducing the requirements for entering the African market as it is one of the main markets and a strong window for the development of Egyptian exports.
In turn, Eng. Hany Salem Sonbol, CEO of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation, expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to the Arab Republic of Egypt for its support for all the programs and projects of the Corporation, in particular the Arab-African Trade Bridges Program, praising the unremitting development efforts of the state in support of the Egyptian economy in various fields, especially in light of Corona Virus "Covid-19" pandemic.
He stressed that the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation, since the outbreak of the Corona virus "Covid-19", has taken the initiative in total solidarity and careful and complete coordination with member states, including the Arab region, to provide what is necessary to contain the pandemic and mitigate its negative effects, noting that the institution's efforts included Medium and long-term projects that enhance the capabilities of member states to speed up recovery and restore normal conditions through three tracks that included response, recovery and starting over, in pursuit of economic recovery from the recession caused by the Corona epidemic and its negative effects.
Sonbol pointed to the leading role of the Arab-African Trade Bridges Program, which aims to advance regional integration between African and Arab countries and support the growth of export business for small and medium-sized companies across various vital sectors, explaining that in light of the current crisis as a result of the Corona epidemic, immediate measures were taken that prioritize the care sectors. health and pharmaceutical industries, and directing support towards African and Arab countries most vulnerable to the risks of the social and economic impact of the epidemic.
He added that the Arab Republic of Egypt is one of the active countries in the Arab-African Trade Bridges Program, noting that cooperation between Egypt and the Foundation includes solidarity and coordination with the relevant ministries and departments under the umbrella of the Arab-African Trade Bridges Program, to develop a "preparedness and response" program to provide assistance to contain the pandemic and mitigate its effects. This program included organizing a series of workshops and technical assistance for the private sector to enable it to find promising African markets.
Sonbol said that the exceptionally difficult circumstances left by the Corona pandemic represent an opportunity to shift towards creating new and renewable markets that achieve sustainable and comprehensive growth, and an opportunity for Egyptian companies and the private sector in the Arab Republic of Egypt, given the country's strategic location as a gateway to Africa, which facilitates the entry of goods and commodities into the African market.
He added that the Corporation paid special attention to the Arab Republic of Egypt in support of the sustainable development strategy (Egypt Vision 2030) on providing all possible means of support to enhance the movement of Egyptian exports in African markets and to reach $100 billion in exports over the next five years, noting that this importance is increasing with the entry of an agreement The African Free Trade Area, which is one of the largest free trade areas in the world, came into effect early this year by enabling representatives of the private sector, through various workshops, to prepare and build an export plan and an integrated marketing strategy for the African market.
For his part, Minister of Trade Commissioner Mamdouh Salman, head of the Export Development Authority, said that the program was implemented within the framework of the authority’s efforts to provide export guidance and planning services to educate exporting companies about the mechanisms of access to African markets, and to complement the implementation of the joint activities program under the umbrella of the Arab-African Trade Bridges Program in Egypt, in cooperation between The Authority and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation, which aims to enhance the capacity of existing exporters, create a generation of new exporters and encourage the development of new export products in existing markets and promising new markets in Africa.
He pointed out that the program included training officials and export specialists for 50 companies from the targeted export sectors, including building materials, chemical industries, medical and pharmaceutical industries, engineering industries, printing, packaging, paper products, furniture and food industries, pointing out that the program aimed to enhance the export capabilities of exporters by training them to identify target markets. Learn about the various rules and regulations governing the export process, in addition to familiarity with the legal aspects of international contracts, identifying sources of financing and payment mechanisms, as well as learning how to avoid export risks, identifying transport logistics to African markets, and knowing how to benefit from international agreements with African countries, and finally Training companies on how to prepare an export plan
Salman explained that two workshops were also organized in Cairo and Damietta as part of the implementation of the joint activities program in cooperation with the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation. To raise the export capabilities of Egyptian exporters to the African market, in addition to participating in memberships in international sites to provide export opportunities and tenders in African countries, noting that work is underway to organize other workshops in other governorates, and to organize a similar training program to train exporters in Alexandria.
The head of the Export Development Authority indicated that the program of joint activities between the Authority and the Islamic Trade Finance Corporation will be concluded for this year, by organizing trade missions and arranging meetings for business matchmaking on the sidelines of the African Intra-African Trade Fair in its second session in the Rwandan capital Kigali in December 2021.
Mrs. Nevin Gamea, Minister of Trade and Industry, handed over certificates to export officials and specialists participating in the training program from 50 companies in various export sectors.
Comments
Post a Comment