Doha: Al-Mashat received a prestigious leadership award during the Africa-Gulf Dialogue held in Doha. The award was presented by Pascal Lorot, President of the Choiseul Institute, at a gala dinner attended by Sheikh Jabr bin Mansour bin Jabr Al-Thani, Chairman and CEO of GMG Holding, along with various government officials, investors, and key economic figures.
According to State Information Service Egypt, Al-Mashat expressed that the recognition comes at a time when efforts to strengthen cooperation between Africa and the Gulf states are intensifying. She emphasized that receiving the award at an event focused on Africa-Gulf relations underscores the increasing importance of economic diplomacy in the region and mirrors Egypt's ambition to broaden its partnerships.
Al-Mashat expressed gratitude to the Choiseul Institute for organizing the dialogue, highlighting its significance as a platform for discussing economic integration. She reflected on the historical context of Africa-Gulf collaboration, which dates back to the inaugural Arab-African Summit held in Cairo in 1977.
The minister highlighted the surge in investment flows into Africa, with foreign direct investment reaching an unprecedented $97 billion in 2024, marking a 75 percent increase from the previous year. Additionally, GCC states have announced over $53 billion in new projects across the continent.
Al-Mashat pointed out that Africa's rapidly expanding population and consumer markets, coupled with the Gulf states' financial resources and diversification strategies, are key drivers of growing cross-regional investment, innovation, and job creation.
Furthermore, she mentioned significant changes in the continent's economic landscape, notably the activation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, which establishes a single market of 1.7 billion people with projected spending of $6.7 trillion by 2030. This development presents opportunities for collaboration in sectors such as infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, digital transformation, and entrepreneurship.
International cooperation, she added, is now central to national development strategies, with Egypt viewing partnerships as crucial for advancing priorities in climate action, food security, transport, agriculture, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and women's economic empowerment.
She stated that the Africa-Gulf Cooperation Dialogue serves as a platform to enhance investment and knowledge exchange between the two regions.
The Choiseul Institute had previously recognized Al-Mashat as one of the Top 100 Economic Leaders of Africa in 2014 and 2015.