CAIRO — President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with his Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on the sidelines of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) summit in Sharm El-Sheikh to discuss regional infrustructure projects and Egypt's role in the body. Sisi discussed updates on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project with Desalegn as well as progress on the Declaration of Principles signed in March 2015 and the tripartite meetings between the ministers of foreign affairs and water resources of the three countries. He said attaining development is the main challenge facing Africa, and requires developing mechanisms for joint African action, especially in light of the need to implement large regional projects in several spheres. He said there is also a need to promote competitiveness in local markets in order to attract investment and enter international markets. Sisi also meet with COMESA secretary-general Sindiso Ngwenya on the sidelines of the Africa Forum 2016, and praised efforts made by COMESA to achieve cooperation and regional integration in Africa. He said he appreciated COMESA's participation in following up on Egypt's parliamentary elections, while Ngwenya said he appreciated Al-Sisi's effort to support development efforts in Africa and promote trade and investment ties among its countries. Ngwenya also said cooperation between Egypt and COMESA needed to increase, especially in light of the mega projects Egypt is currently implementing topped by developing the Suez Canal axis. The two sides also discussed cooperation on projects in infrastructure and food security, in addition to establishing a navigational route connecting Lake Victoria and the Mediterranean.
