The African Union (AU) and Egypt have formalised arrangements for a high-level meeting in El Alamein that will bring together the continental bloc, Africa’s regional economic communities and regional mechanisms to strengthen coordination on the continent’s integration agenda.
The African Union Commission (AUC) and the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt signed a Host Country Agreement for the Eighth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Regional Mechanisms (RMs), scheduled for October 4, 2026, in El Alamein.
The agreement was signed by Amb. Selma Malika Haddadi, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, on behalf of the AUC, and Mohamed Abubakr, Egypt’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for African Affairs, representing the Egyptian government.
The agreement formally establishes the arrangements for Egypt to host the meeting and underscores Cairo’s continued engagement with the AU and regional organisations on issues affecting Africa’s political and economic integration.
The meeting was convened under Assembly Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.964(XXXIX), through which African Union leaders agreed that the eighth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting would be held in El Alamein in 2026.
Egypt’s role in Africa’s integration
For Egypt, hosting the meeting provides an opportunity to reinforce its role in continental affairs at a time when the AU is seeking closer coordination among its institutions and Africa’s regional blocs.
The Mid-Year Coordination Meeting is the principal platform for the AU, RECs and RMs to assess their respective roles and improve coordination in implementing the continent’s integration agenda. The 2026 meeting is expected to review progress in the division of labour between the AU and the regional organisations while identifying areas requiring greater cooperation.
The discussions are particularly significant as African countries continue efforts to deepen economic integration through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), strengthen regional infrastructure and connectivity, and improve coordination on peace, security and development.
Egypt has long sought a prominent role in African affairs, both through the AU and through its engagement with regional institutions. Cairo’s participation in continental diplomacy has also increasingly focused on economic cooperation, trade, infrastructure, water security and peace and security.
The El Alamein meeting therefore gives Egypt an important diplomatic platform to engage directly with the leadership of Africa’s regional economic communities and mechanisms, alongside the AU Commission.
Strengthening AU-REC coordination
The coordination between the AU and the RECs remains central to efforts to build a more integrated African market and strengthen the continent’s collective response to political, economic and security challenges.
Africa’s regional blocs—including the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the East African Community, the Economic Community of West African States and the Southern African Development Community—play a critical role in implementing continental policies at regional level.
However, differences in priorities, overlapping memberships and institutional mandates have continued to create challenges for coordination. The Mid-Year Coordination Meeting provides an avenue for addressing these issues and clarifying responsibilities between continental and regional institutions.
The 2026 meeting will therefore offer an opportunity to assess how the AU and regional organisations can work more effectively in advancing Agenda 2063, particularly its objectives on economic integration, infrastructure development, peace and security, and sustainable development.
The AUC has welcomed Egypt’s cooperation in preparing for the meeting and expressed confidence that the El Alamein gathering will provide a platform for advancing coordination between the continental body, regional economic communities, and regional mechanisms.
For Egypt, the hosting of the meeting is also a demonstration of its continued commitment to the African Union and to strengthening the institutional mechanisms needed to advance Africa’s integration and collective development objectives.
