The Central Bank of Egypt reported that Governor Hassan Abdalla met Foreign Minister بدر عبد العاطي and George Elombi, president of the African Export-Import Bank, to deepen cooperation on trade, investment and financing in Africa. The discussions focused on continued coordination between the central bank, the Foreign Ministry and Afreximbank to help Egyptian companies enter African markets, expand financing tools for trade and investment, and increase private-sector participation in development projects across the continent. The meeting also covered preparations for the Africa Business Forum, which is scheduled to be held in Alamein in October on the sidelines of Egypt's hosting of the eighth Mid-Year Coordination Summit of the African Union. The forum is expected to bring together African heads of state, government representatives, regional and international financial institutions, business communities and private-sector participants from across Africa. Participants in the meeting also exchanged views on investment opportunities in African countries, ways to increase Egyptian companies' role in infrastructure and development projects, and options to strengthen financing and investment guarantee mechanisms.