Mohamed Farid Saleh, Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, met with Mark Bryson-Richardson, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Egypt, and his accompanying delegation to explore ways to strengthen economic and investment cooperation between the two countries, as well as a number of priority issues within the framework of their strategic partnership.
Farid underscored the state’s commitment to deepening economic ties with the United Kingdom, describing it as one of Egypt’s most important trade and investment partners. He noted that British companies are among the largest foreign investors in the Egyptian market, contributing significantly to job creation, export growth and the transfer of expertise.
The Minister said discussions also addressed expanding access for selected Egyptian agricultural exports to the UK market, with the aim of improving the trade balance and enhancing the global competitiveness of Egyptian products.
He reviewed the Ministry’s key priorities, including advancing comprehensive digital transformation of services and developing integrated, accurate databases to facilitate swift data circulation and informed decision-making. Farid stressed that establishing reliable and up-to-date databases represents a cornerstone for enhancing transparency and improving the overall investment climate.
Farid added that the Ministry is adopting effective and rapid mechanisms to resolve investors’ challenges in a sustainable manner, in close coordination with relevant authorities. The approach aims to improve the business environment, ensure investor satisfaction, and attract strategic investments in priority sectors, while building an integrated industrial base to strengthen the competitiveness of the Egyptian economy.
For his part, the British Ambassador reaffirmed his country’s commitment to advancing economic partnership with Egypt, noting that the United Kingdom remains one of the largest foreign investors in the Egyptian market. He said the UK looks forward to expanding cooperation in export finance and regional projects, particularly across Africa, in addition to strengthening collaboration in green transition and sustainable investment to open new avenues for bilateral cooperation.
The meeting also highlighted the importance of activating cooperation with UK Export Finance to support Egyptian companies–particularly in construction and real estate development–in expanding into African markets. This would be achieved through joint risk-sharing mechanisms in cooperation with local insurance companies, enhancing the competitiveness of national firms and promoting deeper economic integration between the two sides.
