Ashraf AboArafe
25 May 2023, CAIRO – Andrew Mitchell MP, Minister of State for Development and Africa, attended the African Development Bank’s Annual Meetings for 2023 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
While there, the Minister met with AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina and counterparts from Ghana, Senegal, Egypt, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia to discuss how to ensure the Bank’s finance can reach countries at risk of climate-related disasters more quickly and effectively.
At the conference, he announced that the $2 billion Room to Run guarantee, which the UK announced at COP26, has unlocked funding for two new climate resilient water infrastructure projects in Egypt and Senegal.
The project in Egypt, worth almost £70 million, will expand the capacity of a water treatment plant so it can provide clean recycled water to serve 70,000 acres of new arable land, benefiting 5 million more people than at present.
Visiting Cairo after attending the AfDB Governors’ Meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Minister Mitchell met with senior Egyptian officials and key interlocutors on regional issues.
Meeting with Egypt’s Assistant Foreign Minister for Africa, Ambassador Hamdi Loza, Minister Mitchell discussed the ongoing crisis in Sudan, and the need for all international parties to work together to seek a swift and effective resolution to the violence. Both sides agreed that the Jeddah Declaration is an important first step, and welcomed its focus on the protection of civilians from violence and the provision of humanitarian aid to those affected by the conflict.
The minister also took the opportunity to thank the Egyptian government again for its unprecedented bilateral cooperation assisting with the evacuation of British nationals from Sudan, and underlined the need for an end to violence and a return to negotiations for civilian national leadership as soon as possible.
The two ministers discussed other regional issues, including the effects of the war in Ukraine on global food security, particularly in the Middle East and Africa, as well as British investment in climate projects in Egypt, including through the UK’s development finance institution, British International Investment. He also thanked Egypt for its effective and practical mediation efforts to secure a ceasefire following recent conflict between Israel and Palestinian groups in Gaza.
Speaking after the visit, Minister of State for Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell MP said:
“The work of the African Development Bank is vital in ensuring a prosperous and sustainable future for millions of people across the continent. At the Annual Meetings this year, I have been clear that the UK will continue our position as a leading partner, making real commitments to Africa and its people through our $2bn Room to Run guarantee and our £650m pledge to the African Development Fund, which includes £200m for the new Climate Action Window.
“While in Cairo, I also met with my Egyptian counterparts to discuss how the UK and Egypt can together meet the challenge of the crisis in Sudan. I thank Egypt for the unprecedented support in recent weeks during the evacuation of British nationals, and I am clear that it is only by working together with regional partners that we will protect civilians, provide aid, and bring an end to the conflict.”
