Trade exchange between Egypt and the COMESA member countries has increased by 33% in 2021, according to CAPMAS.
The agency stated, in a statement Wednesday, that Egyptian exports to COMESA amounted to $3.066bn in 2021, compared to $2.342bn in 2020, an increase of 30.9%.
Five African countries received the most Egyptian exports in 2021, accounting for 83.0%. Libya led the group by $961m worth of Egyptian exports (31.3%), followed by Sudan by $827m (27%), Kenya by $382m (12.5%), Tunisia by $264m (8.6%), and Ethiopia by $111m (3.6%).
With regard to the most exported commodities, plastics and their byproducts came in first place with a value of $326m or 10.6% of the total exported commodities; salt, stones, and cement with a value of $175m or 5.7%; and sugar and sugar products with a value of $172m or 5.6%.
Regarding Egyptian imports from COMESA, they amounted to $1.319bn in 2021, compared to $957m in 2020, an increase of 37.8%.
Five African countries accounted for 89.4% of the Egyptian imports from COMESA in 2021. Sudan came first with a value of $386m or 29.3% of total imports, then Zambia with a value of $311m or 23.6%, followed by Kenya with a value of $255m or 19.3%, the Democratic Republic of the Congo with a value of $111m, or 8.4%, then Libya with a value of $78m or 5.9%.
Egypt’s imports of copper and its manufactures were the top commodities imported from COMESA countries at a value of $421m or 31.9% of the total commodities, then coffee, tea and spices at a value of $236m and 17.9% of live animals at a value of $220m million or 16.7% of the total imported commodities.
