Spanish authorities have presented Egypt as a strategic investment and development partner.
Cairo – Relations between Egypt and Spanish countries are being given a new impetus, with both sides getting ready to pour a new manifestation of this new dialogue into a proposed joint business event in 2026. Increased cooperation in this manner is a commentary on an organized effort by both Spanish and Egyptian authorities to transform a commitment manifesting in the higher-level dialogue into tangible investment and trade realities.
The initiative for a focused business forum comes in the wake of a very eventful year in terms of political interaction with a focus on trade cooperation between the two nations. In February 2025, an MOU in a bid to promote trade, industrial, and technical cooperation had been signed by the two governments. The MOU has played a critical role in ensuring that a roadmap is in place in order to have these joint initiatives accelerated by the 2026 business forum.
Trade flows already hint at an upswing. Egyptian exports to Spain – driven increasingly by manufactured and non-oil goods – recorded notable gains in 2024, and bilateral exchanges for 2025 have shown encouraging resilience despite global headwinds. Spanish business delegations, including major engineering, renewable energy and logistics firms, have shown concrete interest in expanding their operations and partnerships in Egypt, attracted by large infrastructure programmes and the country’s strategic position as a gateway to African and Mediterranean markets.
Spanish authorities have presented Egypt as a strategic investment and development partner. Quotes from trade ambassadors indicate an interest in opportunities available in Egypt in seaports and transport, wastewater treatment, renewable energy, and agriculture; in all these sectors, Spanish technology and implementation capacity are greatly valued. Egypt, on the other hand, has focused on access to market, government reforms, and incentives in an attempt to assuage worries in corporate boards over investment risk.
The autumn of 2025 saw a peak in terms of diplomacy with the two parties engaging in a Development Partnership Agreement for 2025–2030 in such a way that shows it is a first-of-its-kind agreement in terms of cooperation in green transition, food security, and inclusive growth. Of course, this and other visits have played an important role in ensuring that goodwill in terms of diplomacy ends up being translated into a policy instrument which investors will need when they invest in other countries.
For Spanish firms, the combination of large-scale projects in Egypt and an evolving regulatory environment makes this market very appealing. In the construction and engineering area, opportunities exist in connection with regeneration projects and transport corridors, but in the case of Spanish companies with a leading presence in renewable energy, they will be very well placed in order to take part in Egypt’s ambitious renewables strategy. Egyptian authorities state that they have in mind this forum as an opportunity to connect project opportunities with Spanish financing capacity and to provide a conducive setting for small and medium enterprises.
Of course, there are dangers. Volatility in global macrons, local fiscal situations in both import and export countries, and simply the nature of major infrastructure projects make due diligence a necessity. But official Egyptian government statements have been very clear in assuring a commitment to increased levels of transparency and investor protection – a message meant to calm worries and speed up the time frame from memoranda to a shovel-ready deal. The conference in 2026 is being touted basically as the ‘bridge to a deal.’
Business leaders on both sides say that timing is right. Spain’s private sector is in need of stable, long-term growth corridors in a competitive world market, while Egypt requires foreign expertise and capital to deliver on ambitious national projects. The forthcoming forum will provide a stage not only for headline agreements but also for practical matchmaking: workshops, sectoral roundtables, and missions of investors designed to produce bankable projects. When successfully staged, it could be the template for a more institutionalized economic partnership through the remainder of the decade.