Sisi said it had been a great honor for him to assume the chairmanship the Steering Committee of Heads of State and Government of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), since February 2023.

Egypt is proud to be one of the founding states of the committee during a delicate stage at the international and regional levels, with the African continent grappling with great challenges, including ongoing armed conflicts, mounting terrorist threats, and the growing frequency of humanitarian crises, in tandem with the fallout from such global crises on food and energy security, he added.

“Against such odds, our meeting today coincides with the launch of the 2nd ten-year plan to implement Agenda 2063, which renews the legitimate hopes and aspirations of our peoples towards a more stable and prosperous life,” Sisi said.

He noted that the new plan also renews hopes for overcoming challenges associated with the high unemployment and poverty rates, the growing food, water, and energy insecurity, as well as the increasing need to address the imbalance of the global economic system and bridge the yawning gap between developing and developed countries.

“Despite these challenges, our countries have managed to achieve a 3.8% economic growth rate in 2024, and this figure is expected to reach 4.2% in 2025, which makes Africa the world's second fastest growing continent,” Sisi said.

“We have also made great strides in infrastructure development, improving education and healthcare systems, providing job opportunities for our youth, promoting intra-African trade, and showing resilience to deal with climate change,” the president concluded his remarks at the committee’s session, which he chaired via videoconferencing. (MENA)

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