Africa has been a main focus of the Egyptian foreign policy since the 1952 Revolution when Egypt mobilized its potentials for achieving liberation and independence of the African countries suffering under the yoke of imperialism.

 

Following independence of the African countries, Egypt intensified efforts to group the African countries into one body to serve interests of the African peoples, the efforts which resulted in the establishment of the Organization of African Unity in 1963.

 

Since then, Egypt and other African nations have been working together to seek best means to achieve aspirations of the African peoples.

 

Under the chairmanship of President Hosni Mubarak of the Organization of African Unity in 1998-1990 and 1993-1994, the organization succeeded in establishing a dispute-solving mechanism to reach peaceful solutions to the African disputes.

 

Egypt also established a center to train African cadres to administer the African disputes and carry out peacekeeping operations in the African continent.

 

In Nov. 1995, Egypt played host to a summit grouping Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania to discuss the issue of refugees in both Rwanda and Burundi and discuss means of achieving peace between the disputing parties in the continent.

 

Egypt also joined the Francophonie organization in the same year as a representative of the north African countries during a summit held in Benin.

 

Egypt has also played a prominent role in establishing the African Union to replace the Organization of African Unity in a serious effort to solve the political, economic and social problems in Africa.

 

On the economic level, Egypt has paid a special attention to solving the issue of the African debts.

 

Egypt has put forward a number of proposals to write off part of the African debts and reschedule the remaining part as well as urging the World Bank to play a more robust role in achieving economic development in the African continent.