Africa Specialist Mohamed Abu Bakr Tapped as Egypt’s Deputy Foreign Minister

CAIRO - 12 February 2026: Ambassador Mohamed Abu Bakr was appointed as Deputy Foreign Minister for African Affairs Wednesday. The move signals a strategic deepening of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s foreign policy pivot toward the African continent.

Abu Bakr, a seasoned diplomat and African affairs expert, assumes the role after a career defined by high-stakes mediation and economic diplomacy. Most recently, he contributed to high-level consultations with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, aimed at leveraging veteran expertise to bolster Egypt’s presence across the continent.

A specialist in regional stability, Abu Bakr previously served as Egypt’s Ambassador to Libya (2013) and later managed the Libya portfolio as Assistant Foreign Minister from 2017 to 2021. During this tenure, he was instrumental in the Skhirat Agreement and brokered several dialogues to unify Libyan factions. Internationally, he co-chaired the International Economic Working Group on Libya alongside the U.S. Envoy and represented Egypt within the Sahel-Saharan (CEN-SAD) bloc.

His expertise extends beyond the continent. During his posting as Ambassador to Japan, Abu Bakr facilitated the historic issuance of "Samurai bonds" and expanded the Egypt-Japan Education Partnership (EJEP), which brought Japanese pedagogical models to Egyptian schools and universities.

His earlier career included stints at the UN in New York and diplomatic missions in London and India, where he focused on economic promotion. Abu Bakr holds an LL.B. from Cairo University, an Economics degree, and a Master’s from the University of Notre Dame (1993).