An economic study to evaluate the rates of trade exchange between Egypt and the COMESA countries In light of recent economic changes

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) includes 21 member states, namely Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Congo, Uganda, Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Seychelles, Kenya, Libya, Malawi, Madagascar, and Mauritius, and many Nile Basin countries are also members of COMESA, including Egypt, Eritrea, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Congo, Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Kenya. Kenya leads in Egypt's exports to COMESA countries. In terms of imports, Libya, Zambia, and Kenya are in the top three positions. Egypt's total exports to COMESA amounted to about 68.7 billion Egyptian pounds, contributing about 53% of Egypt's total exports of about 130 billion Egyptian pounds. Egypt's total imports from COMESA amounted to about 3.88 billion Egyptian pounds, contributing about 62.1% of Egypt's total imports of about 6.247 billion Egyptian pounds. Thus, Egypt has a trade deficit with COMESA of about 6.117 billion Egyptian pounds, while it has a positive trade balance with COMESA amounting to about 68.3 billion Egyptian pounds for the mentioned period. Egypt's exports to COMESA include aluminum products, pharmaceuticals, paper, petroleum and chemical products, carpets, ceramics, food products, furniture, fertilizers and pesticides, cement and iron, rice, fruits, vegetables, and textiles. Egypt imports from COMESA include tea, coffee, cocoa, pulses, tobacco, sesame, raw hides, tanning materials, botanical and aromatic extracts, and live camels. Egypt's exports to COMESA are relatively diverse compared to its imports, with pharmaceuticals and rice leading the export list and black tea and sesame seeds leading the import list.