Visit to ECFA by the Minister of Investment of South Sudan

On January 16, 2024, ECFA hosted Mr. Deo Mathok Deng, Minister of Investment of the State of South Sudan, where he met with Ambassadors: Mohamed El-Oraby, Ezzat Saad, Salah Halima, Mohamed El-Noqali, as well as the columnist Nabil Najm El-Din, and Ms. Asmaa El-Husseiny.

The guest affirmed that it is extremely important to strengthen relations and ties among peoples. He also stressed his keenness to get acquainted with the nature of the Council, its activities, and its role as an effective civil society organization in the Arab Republic of Egypt, to which Ambassador Saad, ECFA Director, replied, affirming Egypt’s constant keenness to strengthen relations with the State of South Sudan.

The guest indicated the increasing financial difficulties in his country, in terms of the high inflation rate, soaring prices, unemployment, etc., which are exacerbated with the escalation of crises in neighboring countries in the region, including, of course, the situation in the State of Sudan, which has left a large number of displaced people and refugees in neighboring countries, including both Egypt and South Sudan.

In this context, Ambassador Saad inquired about the nature of investments in the state of South Sudan, as the guest indicated that most of them are in the field of oil, and the largest investors are the Chinese, Malaysians and Indians, while there are no Western investments at all. In this regard, the guest called on Egypt to strive towards enhancing its investment and popular presence in his country, including in the field of food processing and crop cultivation. ECFA members also indicated that Egypt is also interested in the healthcare and education sectors in South Sudan, and there is a branch of Alexandria University there, in addition to capacity-building efforts, which must be continued and strengthened.