Swiss–Egyptian Economic Forum Opens in Cairo, Advancing Public–Private Dialogue and Economic Cooperation
Cairo, 26 January 2026 – The Embassy of Switzerland in Egypt, in collaboration with SwissCham Egypt and the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), today held the Swiss–Egyptian Economic Forum at the Dusit Thani Hotel in New Cairo, with the participation of H.E. Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development and Minister of Health and Population; and H.E. Eng. Hassan El-Khatib, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade; in addition to a recorded address by H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation. The Forum brought together senior government officials, business leaders, investors, and institutional partners from both countries.
Held under the theme “Seizing the Economic Opportunities: Public–Private Dialogue”, the Forum was convened as a follow-up to the first Swiss–Egyptian Joint Economic Commission, held in Switzerland in May 2025. It aimed to further strengthen bilateral economic relations by fostering high-level dialogue, with a particular focus on Egypt’s business and investment environment in three sectors that see strong engagement of Swiss companies.
The Forum provided a platform for open and structured exchanges on regulatory frameworks, investment climate reforms, innovation, and sector-specific opportunities. Participants discussed ways to enhance cooperation, promote sustainable trade and investment, and build resilient economic partnerships aligned with Egypt’s development priorities.
Opening the Forum, H.E. Dr. Andreas Baum, Ambassador of Switzerland to Egypt, emphasized the strategic importance of dialogue in advancing economic cooperation: “Switzerland and Egypt share strong bilateral trade. Swiss companies demonstrate a solid footprint and forward-looking investment records. This Forum reflects our joint commitment to deepening dialogue between government and the private sector, strengthening the business environment, and translating shared ambitions into concrete opportunities that create value, innovation, and sustainable growth for both our economies.”
Highlighting Egypt’s investment potential, Dr. Dahlia El Hawary, Vice President of GAFI, stated: “Egypt is Switzerland’s leading trading partner in Africa and Switzerland has consistently ranked among the top foreign investors in Egypt. Swiss investment in the country reflects a long-standing and diversified presence of more than 100 Swiss companies operating across key sectors of the Egyptian economy. There is significant potential to create powerful synergies, building on the complementary value propositions of both countries: Switzerland brings advanced technology, innovation, high-value manufacturing, a strong commitment to quality and sustainability, and vocational training programs that develop the skilled workforce needed to support cutting-edge industries and drive productivity. Egypt combines competitive production costs with a large labor force of 35 million workers and a domestic market of over 108 million people. Bilateral and multilateral trade agreements provide preferential access to more than 3 billion consumers, all backed by significant government investment in infrastructure. In addition, as global trade and supply chains shift, Egypt’s trade arrangements provide investors with a strong competitive edge in regional and global markets”.
The program featured keynote addresses and high-level panel discussions focusing on key sectors of mutual interest, including textile, healthcare, and engineering industries. These sessions highlighted Swiss contributions to Egypt’s economy and explored how Swiss expertise in innovation, sustainability, technology transfer, and skills development can support Egypt’s industrial transformation and long-term development goals.
During the Forum, SwissCham Egypt disseminated the “Swiss Business Impact in Egypt 2025” report, the first evidence-based assessment of the Swiss economic footprint in Egypt. The report reveals the depth, scale and durability of Swiss engagement in the Egyptian market, reflecting a sustained investment presence that has placed Switzerland among Egypt’s leading foreign investors over recent years. It highlights the strong and diversified presence of more than 100 Swiss companies operating across key sectors, such as healthcare, high-tech manufacturing and food security, as well as their substantial contribution to employment, skills development and value creation. The report will serve as a foundational reference for SwissCham’s upcoming B2B missions, designed to capitalize on the strong and diversified presence of Swiss business in Egypt across critical and high-impact sectors. Commenting on the findings, Eng. Kamal Abdel Malek, President of SwissCham Egypt, stated: “This report reflects the resilience and long-term commitment of Swiss investors and provides a robust, data-driven basis for deepening collaboration and fostering future innovation in support of Egypt’s industrial transformation.”
The Forum also addressed cross-cutting priorities such as capacity building, talent development, localization of skills, and the role of Swiss-affiliated institutions and companies in supporting inclusive and sustainable economic growth in Egypt.
By convening senior decision-makers and private sector leaders at a critical moment for economic reform, the Swiss–Egyptian Economic Forum underscored the shared commitment to strengthening partnerships, enhancing competitiveness, and fostering long-term, sustainable economic cooperation.