Libya has emerged as the top African Union nation importing from Egypt in 2024, with Egyptian exports to the country reaching approximately $2 billion, according to data released by the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics.
This development unfolds amidst a notable increase in the total trade exchange between Egypt and African Union countries, which climbed to $9.8 billion in 2024, up from $9.2 billion in 2023, marking a robust growth of 6.5%.
Egyptian exports to African Union nations totaled $7.7 billion, a 4.7% increase over the previous year. Libya secured the leading position in these exports, followed by Morocco ($1 billion), Algeria ($996 million), Sudan ($866.2 million), and Tunisia ($372 million).
Key commodities exported by Egypt to African Union countries included cement, gypsum, and table salt, valued at $694.4 million. These were followed by plastics and their products, mill products, electrical machinery and appliances, in addition to iron and steel, and stone and cement products.
Conversely, Egypt’s imports from African Union nations rose to $2.1 billion, a 14.5% increase. The Democratic Republic of Congo led the list of countries exporting to Egypt, followed by Sudan, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.
On another front, mutual investments between Egypt and African Union countries witnessed a significant decline. Investments from African Union nations in Egypt decreased to $831.2 million, while Egyptian investments in the continent’s countries amounted to $499.1 million during the same period.
The data also revealed that the number of Egyptians residing in African Union countries reached approximately 59.1 thousand citizens by the end of 2023, with financial remittances recorded between both sides during the 2023/2024 fiscal year.