Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II met in Cairo on February 1, 2026, to discuss the urgent situation in Gaza, emphasizing the need for a ceasefire, humanitarian aid, and reconstruction. Both leaders reiterated their rejection of Palestinian displacement and affirmed the two-state solution as crucial for regional peace.
China's XinFeng Steel plans a substantial $10 billion investment in Egypt to establish an integrated industrial complex for steel production. This ambitious project aims for an annual production capacity of 10 million tons, spanning 10 million square meters, and is projected to generate 15,000 direct jobs and over 85,000 indirect jobs, significantly boosting Egypt's industrial sector and economic development. The complex will produce a wide range of steel products, including automotive and specialized industrial steels.
Egypt is set to significantly increase its upstream oil and gas exploration, planning to drill over 100 exploratory wells in 2026. This initiative aims to boost domestic production, reduce reliance on imports, and secure energy supply, forming part of a broader five-year development plan.
Egypt's balance of payments recorded a deficit of $1.6 billion in the first quarter of the 2025/2026 fiscal year, widening from $991.2 million in the previous year. This occurred despite a significant narrowing of the current account deficit and robust growth in remittances and tourism revenues, according to data released by the Central Bank of Egypt.
Egypt and Sudan have welcomed an offer from former US President Donald Trump to resume mediation efforts in the long-running dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Trump's offer, made in a letter to Egyptian President el-Sisi, aims to resolve the Nile River water-sharing issue.
Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources has announced the successful drilling of four new exploratory oil and gas wells in the Western Desert. These discoveries are expected to add approximately 4,500 barrels of crude oil and 2.6 million cubic feet of natural gas to daily domestic production, bolstering the nation's energy independence goals.
Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has inaugurated the first phase of the Obelisk solar project in Qena, delivering 500 MW of solar capacity and 200 MWh of battery storage. This landmark project, developed by Scatec with $150 million from EIB Global, is Africa's largest hybrid solar PV plant and aims to boost Egypt's renewable energy goals.
Actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing into Gaza on Friday, January 2, 2026. Her visit focused on meeting with humanitarian workers, assessing aid deliveries, and understanding the conditions of injured Palestinians, amidst reports of thousands of aid trucks awaiting entry into Gaza.
Egypt's Ministry of Finance is set to issue EGP 5 billion ($104.8 million) in three-year local sovereign sukuk today, December 29th. This issuance follows a recent 100 basis point interest rate cut by the Central Bank of Egypt, serving as a key test for market pricing. The move is part of a broader strategy to diversify funding sources and attract Sharia-compliant investors, contributing to a total of EGP 20 billion raised under the current program.
Egypt has publicly activated joint defense frameworks with Sudan following high-level talks between President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. This significant move, announced on December 18, 2025, comes in response to escalating threats to Sudanese state institutions and Egypt's national security, marking a critical development in the ongoing Sudanese conflict.
Egypt's second-phase parliamentary election runoffs concluded domestically on Thursday, December 18, 2025, after two days of voting. Overseas balloting ended on December 16. The National Elections Authority oversaw 202 candidates vying for 101 individual seats across 13 governorates, with official results anticipated on December 25.
Abdel Aziz El-Sherif, Head of the Egyptian Commercial Service, concluded high-level meetings in Madrid to bolster economic, trade, and investment ties with Spain. Discussions focused on enhancing cooperation and culminated in plans for a joint economic dialogue and business forum in the first half of 2026, building on recent bilateral engagements.
The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Giza, Egypt, has officially opened to the public on November 4, 2025, following an inauguration for dignitaries on November 1. The colossal museum, dedicated to ancient Egyptian civilization, houses over 100,000 artifacts, including the complete King Tutankhamun collection, and cost over $1 billion.
Ethiopia has accused Egypt of escalating tensions in the long-running Nile dispute, following recent comments by Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. Abdelatty declared negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) had reached a 'dead end' and labeled the project 'illegal.' Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs countered, accusing Cairo of clinging to a 'colonial-era mentality' and rejecting dialogue.
Egypt has been validated by the World Health Organization (WHO) for eliminating trachoma, the leading infectious cause of avoidable blindness, as a public health problem. This achievement marks a significant public health victory, making Egypt the 27th country globally and the seventh in its region to reach this status.
A senior Hamas delegation, led by Khalil Al-Hayya, met with Egypt's intelligence chief Hassan Rashad in Cairo on November 23, 2025. Discussions focused on alleged Israeli ceasefire violations, the need for a monitoring mechanism, the second phase of the agreement, and the urgent situation of Hamas fighters in Rafah tunnels.
Egypt has officially launched its 2025-2029 National Digital Health Strategy, aiming for a fully digitized health system by 2029. The plan, unveiled at the 3rd World Congress on Population, Health and Development, focuses on creating an integrated digital ecosystem, unifying national health data, and expanding access to digital services.
Egypt plans to move certain in-person public services solely to its 'Digital Egypt' platform, launched in 2020. This move, part of Vision 2030, aims to boost efficiency, accessibility, and transparency, with over 175 services already available and user numbers exceeding 8 million.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov held phone discussions on November 7 and 8, 2025, focusing on consolidating the Gaza ceasefire, addressing the Sudan crisis, and enhancing bilateral cooperation, including major joint projects.
The Netherlands announced it will return a 3,500-year-old bust of a high-ranking official from Pharaoh Thutmose III's dynasty to Egypt. The announcement by Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof coincided with the Grand Egyptian Museum's opening in Giza, marking a significant act of cultural restitution for an artifact believed looted during the 2011 Arab Spring.
