• A Sudanese delegation met Egyptian officials in Cairo to study Egypt’s SME support mechanisms, including legislation and financing programs.
• Egypt’s MSME Development Agency (MSMEDA) outlined financial support frameworks and recent financing agreements with national banks.
• The cooperation aligns with broader efforts to strengthen SMEs as engines of private-sector growth and job creation.

Officials from Sudan visited Cairo on 17 February 2026 to discuss micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) support frameworks with Egypt’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSMEDA). The Sudanese delegation included representatives from Sudan’s Transitional Cabinet, the Ministries of Finance and Justice, and the Central Bank.

During the meetings, Egyptian officials outlined the structure and implementation of Law No. 152 of 2020 on the Development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, which provides a national legal framework for SME policy and support. The law is implemented through MSMEDA, which coordinates financial and non‑financial services for enterprises across Egypt’s governorates, including through a network of regional offices.

MSMEDA presented recent financing initiatives, including an EGP 500 million funding agreement with Suez Canal Bank to expand credit to industrial and productive MSMEs across all governorates. Under the agreement, small enterprises can access up to EGP 30 million and medium enterprises up to EGP 60 million in financing for machinery, equipment, raw materials and training programmes.

Officials also reviewed broader MSME financing activity in Egypt. MSMEDA has provided significant backing to small businesses through partnerships with banks such as Banque du Caire, which has received financing agreements to support SME lending nationwide. These arrangements channel funding toward entrepreneurship, productivity enhancements and information technology projects.

Egyptian authorities outlined mechanisms for regulatory compliance support, one‑stop service models for business development, and procedures for accessing government‑backed funding as part of MSME support. Delegates were briefed on operational procedures designed to streamline the formalisation of enterprises and expand access to credit and training services across sectors.

The Sudanese delegation’s visit occurred amid ongoing policy efforts in the region to prioritise SME development as a tool for private‑sector growth and employment creation. Egypt’s SME sector accounts for a substantial share of the private economy, with MSMEs making up the vast majority of registered enterprises and contributing to output and employment, according to national economic data.

The engagement follows wider economic cooperation initiatives between Egypt and Sudan, with both governments pursuing expanded ties in trade, investment, and institutional capacity building. Pending outcomes from the discussions include potential adaptation of select SME support frameworks in Sudan’s domestic policies.

By Cynthia Ebot Takang