Egypt to host next COMESA Summit: Kipyego Cheluget

SHARM EL SHEIKH - 16 December 2019: Assistant Secretary General of COMESA Kipyego Cheluget on Monday said that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has earlir accepted hosting the upcoming COMESA Summit in Egypt next year.

During a session dubbed "Prospects of Sustainable Development in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges" on the sidelines of the third edition of the World Youth Forum in South Sinai's Sharm El-Sheikh, Cheluget said that COMESA is working on infrastructure projects in Africa, revealing establishing projects in Egypt, including a transport network via a route between Lake Victoria and Cairo, passing through the Mediterranean Sea

During the session, Hala Al-Saeed, Egypt's minister of lanning hailed the continent's natural resources, said that Africa has a population of around 1.2 billion people, and this number is expected to reach 2.4 billion by 2050 of which 60% are youth.
 
Saeed said Africa has witnessed an increase in urban areas during the past ten years, which is a great opportunity for investment. She noted that much of the continent's natural resource were not exploited.

Saeed said that Africa suffers from weak infrastructure, stressing that Egypt has gone a long way in preparing required infrastructure to pace the way for investments.
 
The continent also suffers as a result of internal disputes, Saeed said. She added that the world loses $14.1 trillion due to conflicts, while Africa alone loses $2.5 for the same reason.
 
She affirmed the need to recognize the challenges facing sustainable development in the continent.

Saeed also called for enhancing intra-regional trade among African countries, as it is relatively low.

The third edition of the World Youth Forum kicked off on Saturday in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el Sheikh, with the participation of around 7,000 attendees from around the world, according to state’s news agency MENA. It is set to conclude on Tuesday.