Cairo: Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Engineer Hassan al-Khatib and Minister of Industry and Commerce of Sudan, Ms. Mohasen Ali Yaqoub, chaired the meetings of the Egyptian-Sudanese Joint Trade and Industry Committee in Cairo. The meetings, held on Monday, December 29, 2025, saw the participation of numerous officials from both countries.
According to State Information Service Egypt, al-Khatib highlighted the close ties between Egypt and Sudan and emphasized their commitment to deepen economic relations. He reiterated Egypt's willingness to support Sudan's economic recovery through strategic partnerships and enhanced trade and investment links. Al-Khatib underlined the importance of regular committee meetings and sustained communication between both governments and private sectors to achieve economic objectives.
Ms. Yaqoub expressed that the meetings reflect the strong relations between the two countries and demonstrate their readiness to unite efforts for economic integration. She stressed the necessity to develop trade and investment relations, boost trade exchange, and share expertise to serve the shared interests of the Nile Valley peoples. Yaqoub advocated for joint efforts to remove obstacles hindering bilateral trade growth.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the ministers signed the committee's minutes, which included agreements on several vital areas of mutual interest. Both sides acknowledged the positive economic cooperation between Cairo and Khartoum and emphasized the need to intensify efforts to enhance bilateral trade. The trade volume between the countries in 2024 was approximately $1.15 billion. The ministers agreed on measures to positively impact trade volumes and fulfill their countries' aspirations.
The committee agreed on measures to enhance integration, including forming a technical working group to boost trade exchange and drafting a memorandum of understanding between Egypt's General Authority for Investment and Free Zones and Sudan's National Investment Corporation. Prioritizing Egyptian companies in Sudan's reconstruction projects and providing technical support to restart Sudanese factories were among the key agreements.
Both sides also emphasized harmonizing technical specifications for traded goods to facilitate trade and establishing a mechanism for recognizing certificates of conformity. They agreed to increase the number of trucks and buses crossing border checkpoints and to mobilize funding for establishing logistics zones on the border.
The parties decided to update the memorandum of understanding between the Egyptian and Sudanese central banks to cover governance, financial inclusion, anti-money-laundering, and counter-terrorist financing. They also agreed to exchange expertise in plant and animal quarantine and epidemic control.
Finally, the parties agreed on continuous follow-up of the committee's outputs and to hold regular meetings, with the next session scheduled in Khartoum in the first half of 2027.