Egyptian companies are set to receive priority access to Sudan’s post-war infrastructure reconstruction under a new framework agreed by the Egyptian-Sudanese Joint Trade and Industry Committee, reflecting Cairo’s push to anchor its private sector in Sudan’s recovery effort.
The agreement was reached during talks chaired by Hassan Al‑Khatib, Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, and Mahasen Ali Yaqoub, Sudan’s Minister of Industry and Trade. According to official statements, Egyptian firms will be prioritised in rebuilding electricity, water, healthcare and education infrastructure, sectors heavily damaged by Sudan’s ongoing conflict.
Beyond construction, Egypt committed to technical support to restart Sudanese factories affected by the war and to train Sudanese customs officials starting January 2026, as part of broader capacity-building efforts. The two sides also signed a package of measures to expand bilateral trade, including plans for a logistics zone along the Egypt–Sudan border, preferential treatment for key commodities, and mechanisms to apply Egyptian industrial expertise to Sudanese manufacturing.
The agreement also provides for mutual recognition of conformity certificates, easing cross-border trade by aligning safety and quality standards. To address persistent bottlenecks, officials agreed to hold a conference of land border-crossing directors in January 2026 to improve coordination and reduce congestion.
Investment cooperation will be deepened through revisions to an existing bilateral investment agreement, with Egypt offering its experience in free-zone management to help Sudan establish a centralized, one-stop investor services platform. The next meeting of the joint committee is scheduled to take place in Khartoum in the first half of 2027.
Officials on both sides framed the agreement within wider economic objectives. Al-Khatib said closer public- and private-sector coordination would accelerate progress toward Egypt’s export and growth targets, while Yaqoub emphasized the need to remove obstacles to trade, noting that bilateral trade reached about $1.15bn in 2024.
In parallel, Egypt is advancing joint industrial projects inside Sudan, leveraging Sudanese raw materials and labour. Kamel Al‑Wazir, Egypt’s Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, outlined plans covering automated slaughterhouses and tanneries, veterinary pharmaceuticals, and fertilizer production, supported by Egyptian industry chambers. The two countries also plan to update cooperation between their central banks to include governance, financial inclusion and anti-money-laundering frameworks.
