Egypt, Mozambique agree to advance joint projects at 1st high-level consultations

CAIRO - 21 July 2026: Egypt and Mozambique agreed to advance joint projects in healthcare, agriculture, and direct maritime transport during their first high-level political consultations in Cairo on Monday, marking 50 years of diplomatic relations.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty and Mozambique’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Maria Manuela Lucas co-chaired the talks, according to a joint statement.

The two sides conducted a comprehensive review of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern.

They stressed the need to strengthen efforts to combat terrorism and extremist ideology and to preserve the unity, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of states.

Egypt and Mozambique agreed to activate technical and legal committees to accelerate the finalization of pending memoranda of understanding.

The committees will also prepare for the expected “official and historic visit” of Mozambican President Daniel Francisco Chapo to Egypt at the invitation of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

Egypt pledged to continue training Mozambican personnel in priority sectors through the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development and the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding.

Both sides also agreed to study and implement projects in healthcare, agricultural land development, and the establishment of direct logistical and maritime corridors.

The statement praised the role of Al-Azhar’s mission in Mozambique and welcomed ongoing preparations to establish the first Egyptian Coptic church in Maputo, saying the project would promote “tolerance and peaceful coexistence.”

The two countries also agreed to maintain coordination within the African Union to advance the organization’s development agenda.

Earlier on Monday, FM Abdelatty held a bilateral meeting with Lucas in Cairo, where they discussed expanding economic, trade, and investment cooperation, increasing Egyptian companies’ participation in Mozambican infrastructure, energy, and education projects, and strengthening cooperation in healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

The talks also covered enhanced military and security coordination, particularly in counterterrorism, as well as developments in the Horn of Africa and Great Lakes region.

The renewed engagement builds on President El-Sisi’s June 2023 trip to Maputo, the first visit to Mozambique by an Egyptian president.

During talks with then-president Filipe Nyusi, the two sides identified infrastructure, agriculture, fish farming, and healthcare as priority investment sectors and agreed to expand civilian and military capacity-building and intelligence sharing to combat terrorism and extremist ideology.

Security cooperation is particularly important because Mozambique has been battling an Islamic State-linked insurgency in its northern Cabo Delgado province since 2017.

Nearly 60,000 people were displaced within two weeks in mid-2025, while the conflict had killed more than 6,100 people and disrupted major gas investments.

The proposed direct maritime and logistics links could give Egyptian companies greater access to Mozambique and wider Southern African markets, while supporting Egypt's broader efforts to expand trade, investment, and development cooperation across Africa.