A delegation from Egypt’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, headed by Egyptian Commercial Service (ECS) head Ahmed Maghawry, has travelled to South Sudan in a visit that included several meetings with a number of South Sudanese officials.
During the meetings, the two sides discussed ways to enhance trade and investment relations between the two countries.
Maghawry said that a meeting was held with South Sudan’s Minister of Trade and Industry Cole Etienne Mawen, during which joint investment and commercial opportunities between the two countries were reviewed.
It was agreed to discuss the organisation of an Egyptian-South Sudanese business forum in Cairo, that would include the business communities and officials of the two countries. The forum would aim to contribute to strengthening joint economic cooperation between Egypt and South Sudan.
Moreover, the possibility of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries in the commercial and industrial fields was discussed.
Maghawry noted that the most prominent investment opportunities available in South Sudan include: sugar refining; juice production; and cement and wood.
He pointed out that the Egyptian side requested for its South Sudanese counterpart to provide them with all available data on investment opportunities available for study. This would come in addition to providing the Egyptian side with lists of goods that are imported from abroad for studying possibility of exporting these goods from Egypt.
For his part, Mawen affirmed his country’s keenness to strengthen cooperation ties with Egypt, and highlighted the importance of the Egyptian Government’s support for its counterpart in South Sudan. This is particularly in the field of road construction, especially main roads connecting South Sudan’s different states.
Mawen elaborated that his country enjoys an abundance of lands allocated for investment that are available under the usufruct system for a period of 99 years. He added that the jurisdiction of these lands belongs to the government as it can allocate spaces for various investment projects.
