During his visit to Egypt, the AFCFTA secretary general is set to hold a series of key meetings pursuant to the African Free Trade Agreement, which is brought into effect as of the beginning of 2021.

During the meeting, Mene said he is pleased that Cairo would be the first African capital to visit in conjunction with efforts to bring into effect such an ambitious agreement, which Egypt has played a major role to activate during its chairmanship of the African Union (AU), said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Friday.

He expressed his keenness to cooperate with the Egyptian side and benefit from its great expertise to create a unified African market having an effective role in the global trade arena.

He also expressed his gratitude for Egypt's significant support to the agreement and its affiliate newly-formed secretariat, hailing Cairo’s leading role in the regional and international arenas, as well as its wise management of the continent’s issues during President Adel Fattah El Sisi’s presidency of the AU.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian ambassador welcomed Mene’s upcoming visit to Cairo, which he said will help serve the sustainable development goals in Africa.

In this regard, Hanna asserted the Egyptian political leadership’s keenness on achieving the aspired African integration.