As part of strengthening bilateral cooperation between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Republic of Finland and continuing their strategic collaboration towards building a resilient, innovation-driven economy, Egypt hosted the “Egypt - Finland Business Forum” in Cairo.

The forum reflected Egypt’s broader vision: not just supporting businesses, but building an integrated ecosystem for sustainable success.

During the high-level proceedings, H.E. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of Egypt, reaffirmed that Egypt serves as a strategic hub to both the Middle East and Africa—backed by a young population and ambitious infrastructure development. He invited Finnish partners to explore priority sectors including digital transformation, ICT, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing, emphasizing Egypt’s commitment to investors.

H.E Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, highlighted how Egypt’s evolving digital ecosystem can align with Finland’s global leadership in technology and R&D—unlocking sustainable growth. With a dynamic startup landscape, private sector participation now at 58% of total investments, and initiatives such as TradeTech Sandbox, Egypt is positioning itself as a gateway to Africa, the Middle East, and global value chains.

The Forum concluded with a distinguished Fireside Chat by H.E. President Alexander Stubb of Finland, where he expressed strong commitment to deepen collaboration and accelerate digital transformation.

Eng. Ahmed Khalifa, Executive Director of FRA Sandbox and Chief Data Officer at the FRA, joined a panel discussion titled “Digital Economy: Towards a Joint Framework for Innovation and Growth between Egypt and Finland”, highlighting pathways to a strategic partnership supporting a technology-driven digital economy. The session explored priorities including digital infrastructure, AI applications, knowledge exchange, and technology investments.

Moderated by Eng. Ayman ElGohary, the session brought together policymakers and industry experts from both Egypt and Finland, emphasizing international collaboration in accelerating digital transformation, fostering innovation, and empowering startups.

Eng. Ahmed Khalifa also invited Finnish companies to establish their businesses in Egypt and join the FRA Sandbox—not only as technology providers, but also as business service providers across insurance, capital markets, and non-banking financial sectors.

The session concluded by reaffirming that Egypt–Finland collaboration represents a promising model for partnerships between emerging and advanced economies, paving the way for impactful initiatives supporting digital transformation and sustainable growth.

The closing ceremony was attended by H.E. President Alexander Stubb of Finland, H.E Dr. Mostafa Madbouly and H.E Dr. Mohamed Farid.