Egypt’s Trade With NEPAD Founders Reaches 1.1 Billion Dollars as the CBE Sets African Finance Goals
Egypt’s trade with Algeria, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa, which with Egypt founded the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), now the African Union Development Agency, reached 1.1 billion dollars in the first seven months of 2026, up from 1 billion dollars a year earlier, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) said on 3 October. The release came as New Alamein City hosted a series of African meetings from 2 to 4 October, where Central Bank of Egypt Governor Hassan Abdalla proposed that Africa direct 10 percent of its banking liquidity and 5 percent of its international reserves to investment within the continent.
Exports Lead the Trade With NEPAD Founders
Egypt’s exports to the group were 891 million dollars from January to July, against 901 million dollars a year earlier, while imports from the group rose to 167 million dollars from 114 million dollars, an increase of 46.5 percent on our calculation. On our calculation, Egypt ran a surplus of 724 million dollars with the four countries, selling them about 5.3 dollars of goods for every dollar it bought.
Algeria was the largest market, taking 566 million dollars of Egyptian goods, or about 64 percent of exports to the group on our calculation, followed by Nigeria at 140.5 million dollars, South Africa at 138 million dollars and Senegal at 46.5 million dollars. Electrical machinery led exports at 101 million dollars, followed by plastics at 83 million dollars and food preparations at 69 million dollars. Fuels led imports at 58 million dollars, followed by vehicles, tractors and motorcycles at 39 million dollars.
Egypt’s trade with NEPAD founders, January to July
| Flow | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egyptian exports | $901m | $891m | -1.1% |
| Egyptian imports | $114m | $167m | +46.5% |
| Total trade | $1,015m | $1,058m | +4.2% |
| Egypt’s surplus | $787m | $724m | -8.0% |
CAPMAS release of 3 October 2026. Total trade, surplus and all changes are our calculation; the agency rounds the totals to 1 billion and 1.1 billion dollars.
Egypt’s trade by partner, January to July 2026
| Country | Egyptian exports | Egyptian imports | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | $566m | $16m | +$550m |
| Nigeria | $140.5m | $12m | +$128.5m |
| South Africa | $138m | $81m | +$57m |
| Senegal | $46.5m | $58m | -$11.5m |
Balance is our calculation.
Investment Grows in Both Directions
Investment from the four countries in Egypt reached 190.7 million dollars in fiscal 2024/2025, about 4.9 times the 39 million dollars of the previous year on our calculation. Egyptian investment in the group rose 75.2 percent on our calculation, to 251 million dollars from 143.3 million dollars. Remittances from Egyptians working in the four countries rose to 27 million dollars from 20.4 million dollars, and about 49,000 Egyptians lived in the group at the end of 2025, according to mission estimates cited by the statistics agency.
Investment and remittances, Egypt and NEPAD founders
| Flow | FY 2023/2024 | FY 2024/2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group investment in Egypt | $39m | $190.7m | +389% |
| Egyptian investment in the group | $143.3m | $251m | +75.2% |
| Remittances from Egyptians in the group | $20.4m | $27m | +32.4% |
| Remittances from group nationals in Egypt | $9.9m | $10.8m | +9.1% |
Changes are our calculation.
The Governor’s Targets for Africa
In a keynote at a session titled “Africa’s New Growth Compact in a Turbulent World”, Abdalla said about 12 million young people enter Africa’s job market each year, while about 3 million formal jobs are created, which on our calculation is one formal job for every four new entrants. He called for an African credit rating agency, for more of the continent’s capital to circulate within Africa, and for greater use of local currencies, starting with part of trade.
He said at least 15 memoranda of understanding have been signed with African central banks, in areas including training and governance, and that banks operating in Egypt are expanding across the region by opening credit lines and providing financing.
Figures cited by the Governor
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| African banking liquidity for investment within Africa | 10% |
| International reserves for investment within Africa | 5% |
| Young Africans entering the job market each year | about 12 million |
| Formal jobs created each year | about 3 million |
| Egyptian agreements with African central banks | at least 15 |
Central bank release of 4 October 2026.
Why it matters: Egypt sells far more to the NEPAD founders than it buys from them, investment is rising in both directions, and the Governor has put measurable targets on the table for keeping more African capital at work inside the continent.
Outlook: New Alamein hosts the African Union’s eighth mid-year coordination meeting on 4 October, and under an African Union decision the forum will return to the city every two years.
Sources: Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, Central Bank of Egypt, The Edge.
