Cairo: Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan El-Khatib and Minister of Economic Affairs of Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) Mona Neubaur attended the signing ceremony of a joint cooperation declaration between the Egyptian Commercial Representation Authority and NRW Global Business, the trade and investment agency of North Rhine-Westphalia.

According to State Information Service Egypt, the cooperation declaration includes a joint digital action plan aimed at enhancing economic, trade, and investment relations between Egypt and North Rhine-Westphalia, with the objective of increasing trade and investment exchange. The progress of this initiative will be reviewed at the upcoming economic summit scheduled to take place in Cairo.

During a bilateral meeting, the two ministers explored opportunities for further cooperation in trade and investment sectors. They agreed on an official visit to Egypt in 2025 by a delegation led by the German minister, accompanied by German companies based in NRW, to p
articipate in the second edition of the Egypt-North Rhine-Westphalia Economic Summit.

Additionally, the ministers inaugurated the first edition of the summit, which saw participation from around 100 German companies expressing interest in the Egyptian market. Egypt’s Ambassador to Germany, Mohamed El Badry, lauded the ambitious digital goals set by both parties and highlighted the significance of Minister El-Khatib’s visit to Dsseldorf, noting that it would provide a substantial boost to bilateral economic and investment relations.

A panel discussion was also conducted during the summit to explore investment opportunities in Egypt, strategies to increase German investments, and solutions to overcome challenges that may hinder these investments.