Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty announced plans for Cairo to establish an investment hospital in Banjul, Gambia, staffed by Egyptian medical professionals, as part of efforts to deepen economic and infrastructure ties. This came during a meeting with his Gambian counterpart in Cairo, where he expressed readiness to support development needs in construction, energy, and security sectors.
During the meeting held in Cairo on Wednesday, the two ministers, Badr Abdelatty and Serigne Modou Njie, discussed activating the Egyptian-Gambian Joint Committee to provide an institutional boost to bilateral relations. Abdelatty emphasized the importance of increasing trade and investment volumes by leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), particularly highlighting opportunities in tourism, housing, and infrastructure with private sector participation.
In the healthcare sector, he stressed continued cooperation through the project to build and equip an investment hospital in the Gambian capital using Egyptian personnel. The meeting also addressed academic collaboration between the University of The Gambia and Al-Azhar University, especially in medicine and engineering, as well as the provision of training grants for faculty members. Abdelatty offered capacity-building programs for Gambian officials through the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development, the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding, and the Institute for Diplomatic Studies.
On regional security, the ministers reviewed the situation in the Sahel region, with Abdelatty outlining training programs and support to foster stability and security there. Both sides agreed to continue coordination on bilateral and multilateral levels. Abdelatty also congratulated Njie on assuming his new post.
These initiatives come amid Egypt's efforts to strengthen African partnerships, with Egyptian companies eager to participate in executing Gambia's development plans.