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Hassan Abdalla, Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), hosted Dr. Phil Mnisi, Governor of the Central Bank of Eswatini, during his official visit to Egypt. The high-level meeting focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation, exchanging banking expertise, and driving continental financial integration.

Governor Abdalla welcomed his counterpart, emphasizing the CBE's commitment to deepening ties with African central banks. This aligns with Egypt's broader strategic orientation toward fostering economic and financial integration across the continent.

Key Strategic Discussions

The bilateral talks covered several critical areas of mutual interest, focusing on infrastructure, payment systems, and continental resource management.

Strategic PillarDiscussion Focus

Pan-African Gold BankExploring a CBE initiative, in collaboration with Afreximbank, to establish a specialized continental gold bank. This aims to boost central bank reserves, formalize the gold industry, and reduce reliance on non-African refineries.

Cross-Border Payments (PAPSS)Sharing Egypt’s experience in joining the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) to support Eswatini’s accession, aiming to reduce the cost and time of cross-border trade transfers.

Cash Management & PrintingReviewing Egypt's cash circulation system and the capabilities of its state-of-the-art Printing House, which serves as a leading model and prints currency for several African nations.

Export GuaranteesExchanging expertise on Egypt's mechanisms and active programs dedicated to export guarantees and trade support.

Field Visits and Capacity Building

As part of the official itinerary, the Eswatini delegation is scheduled to conduct a field visit to the CBE’s Printing House and Cash Center in the New Administrative Capital (NAC). The tour will showcase the various stages of banknote production, advanced printing and security technologies, quality control procedures, and overall cash management systems.

Additionally, the visit includes a tour of the Egyptian Banking Institute (EBI) to review its specialized training and capacity-building programs aimed at qualifying the next generation of banking professionals.

Deepening African Financial Integration

This visit builds upon a strong foundation of historical cooperation between the two central banks. Over recent years, both institutions have actively exchanged expertise in critical areas such as Basel standards implementation, financial inclusion, MSME financing, and climate-related risk management.

The ongoing dialogue also falls under the umbrella of broader regional cooperation frameworks, including the Association of African Central Banks (AACB) and COMESA, reflecting the CBE's growing role in transferring expertise and building institutional capacity across Africa.