Through presidential endeavors and efforts by independent and governmental institutions, Cairo is seeking to empower its presence in the region through direct aid and continental partnerships, and the consolidation of cultural and political ties.
Egypt is preparing to host on Saturday the 4th edition of the High-Level Meeting for the Chief Justices and Presidents of African Constitutional and Supreme Courts, which is held annually since 2017, under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Last year’s event led to the launching of the “legal electronic platform for the African constitutional courts,” which is aimed at enhancing judicial cooperation between African countries.
On a different note, Egypt is involved in providing direct humanitarian aid to a number of African countries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Tuesday that the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development has delivered humanitarian aid and relief materials to the Zambian state to help it overcome the drought wave hitting the country.
Egyptian officials have often expressed their desire to restore “regional and continental influence.” A meeting of chiefs of staff of the armed forces of the five African Sahel countries (G5) in Cairo last week discussed the Egyptian proposal to host an African summit to discuss establishing a continental anti-terrorist force in the Sahel states.
Egypt’s endeavor is not only focused on the political side. Sisi and the Minister of Culture, Enas Abdel-Dayem, have recently discussed “a program for empowering talented and creative people, as well as efforts to maximize the country’s soft forces through cultural leadership.
A report entitled, the “Egyptian Situation Report”, published by Akhbar Al Youm Public Policy Forum, pointed to the need to intensify moves to restore Egypt’s influence through “soft forces”.
Academic researcher, Dr. Sameh Fawzi, enumerates, in a research paper within the report, a number of elements necessary to reach this goal, including “achieving the independence of media and cultural institutions.”
