Ashraf AboArafe
Continuing to consolidate the bilateral relations between Egypt and the UK and activate more cooperation opportunities between the two countries, the British Egyptian Business Association launched Egypt’s first Virtual Business Week from the 9th to the 12th of November 2020. The event is the outcome of the joint efforts of BEBA with the Egyptian British Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Egyptian Embassy in the UK, and the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT). This virtual week comes as a substitute for BEBA’s trade mission to the UK and Egypt’s trade cooperation mission.
The virtual week will provide a valuable opportunity to discuss crucial hot topics, including the green economy as a means to support businesses’ sustainable development goals. The four-day event will tackle achieving sustainable growth and development for future generations, in addition to discussing the future of gas and oil, education, the strategy of the Suez Canal economic zone, sustainable financing solutions and cooperation opportunities between Egypt and the United Kingdom in the field of telecommunications, and the consolidation of digital transformation in all industries.
A number of influential figures, key decision makers and c-level executives will participate during the week, including Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Egypt’s Prime Minister, Nevine Gamea, Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr. Hala El Saeed, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Mohamed Maait, Minister of Finance, Eg. Tarek El Molla, Minister of Petroleum & Mineral Resources, Dr. Rania Al Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, Major General Kamel El-Wazir, Minister of Transportation, Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Telecommunications, Dr. Khaled al-Anany, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities. Additionally, the event will be attended by his Excellency, Tarek Adel, Egypt’s Ambassador to London, Neerav Patel, Deputy of the British Ambassador to Egypt, as well as Eng. Khaled Nosseir, Head of the British Egyptian Business Association, and Ian Gary, Head of the Egyptian British Chamber of Commerce.
“Egypt plays a crucial role in the regional international trade scene and hence further deepening the collaboration with the UK is deemed a necessity, especially since the two countries have a great record of success in the field of trade exchange,” said Eng. Khaled Nosseir, who also stressed the need to adapt to current challenges and shift more to the digital sphere.
The British Ambassador to Egypt, Sir Geoffrey Adams, welcomed the event as a clear and encouraging sign of the depth of trade and business relations between the UK and Egypt, and hoped that the exchanges and conversations would lead to further cooperation in the future.
“We are working to create more diverse channels of communication between companies and each of the two governments to identify priorities and benefit from them. Recently, we have seen significant attention paid to the green economy, which now more than ever is becoming a priority to countries in the region,” said Ian Gray, President of BECC.
