South Africa and Egypt launch Joint Business Council as trade hits R4.3bn
The council will pursue mining, automotive, agriculture, energy and infrastructure partnerships, with a private-sector fund aimed at projects that can expand beyond both markets.
South Africa and Egypt have launched a Joint Business Council (JBC) on the margins of the Alamein-Africa Business Forum, elevating trade and economic relations between the two countries.
According to a statement from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic), Egypt is South Africa’s strategic partner and largest export market in North Africa.
“It has by far the largest population in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, over 102 million, a GDP of $362 billion, and is one of Africa’s most diversified, large, and dynamic economies,” the department said. “There are solid opportunities for South African companies in the medium-to-long term and a platform for commercial activities in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa.”
Bilateral trade has increased, according to the department. Citing data from Statistics South Africa, it said direct bilateral trade rose by 26% from R3.4 billion in 2024 to R4.3 billion in 2025. South Africa’s exports to Egypt grew by 21%, from R1.3 billion in 2024 to R1.6 billion in 2025.
The department acknowledged that, based on direct data, South Africa had a trade deficit with Egypt from 2021 to 2025. It described the results as positive, noting that South Africa was Egypt’s 46th export destination and 58th source of imports from the rest of the world in 2025.
The JBC’s key initiatives include a Mining and Minerals Partnership and an Automotive and New-Energy Mobility Partnership. It will also pursue an Agriculture and Agro-processing Corridor, an Engineering and Infrastructure Partnership, and a Renewable Energy and Green Industrial Platform.
An Africa Joint-Venture Investment Fund is planned as a private-sector investment vehicle targeting companies and projects capable of expanding beyond the two domestic markets.
Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau participated in the Africa Automotive Investment Forum, held on the margins of the inaugural Alamein Africa Forum in Egypt under the theme “Unlocking Africa’s Automotive Industry Potential under the AfCFTA”.
The Forum was hosted by Dr Mohamed Farid Saleh, Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, in collaboration with Afreximbank and the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM). Participants observed the signing and launch of the Joint Business Council.
“The outcome of this relationship results in deepening bilateral trade and investment by creating practical commercial partnerships between South African and Egyptian companies, while using both countries as gateways into Southern, North and wider African markets,” the department said.
For South Africa, the department said, the Forum provided an opportunity to position the country as a key manufacturing and investment anchor within an emerging continental automotive value chain, while strengthening linkages between South African automotive producers, African markets, component manufacturers, logistics networks and sources of capital.
The Forum brought together policymakers, governments, original equipment manufacturers, component manufacturers, suppliers, investors, financiers, logistics providers and development partners to identify bankable investment opportunities, strengthen regional automotive production capabilities and advance the development of integrated continental supply chains.
Source: SAnews (South African Government News Agency), SA launches Joint Business Council with Egypt
