• Egypt and Alibaba are discussing a regional hub to serve Africa, boosting e-commerce, supply chains, and digital transformation initiatives.
• The hub will enhance intra-African trade, connect markets across Africa and the Middle East, and expand access to global platforms.
• Collaboration includes research on AI, digital infrastructure, and strengthening export-import opportunities for Egyptian and African products via Alibaba’s network.

Alibaba

The Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement (UPA) and Alibaba Group, a global e-commerce company,  are in discussion to establish a regional center to serve the African continent. 

Hisham Stait, Vice Chairman of UPA, met with representatives from Alibaba Group to discuss avenues for joint cooperation. This is in the areas of digital transformation, e-commerce, supply chain, and logistics.

They discussed the establishment of a regional hub within the warehouses of UPA, aiming to serve the entire African continent. The hub aims to support and implement 

the Unified Procurement for Africa initiative. Additionally, aiming to enhance integration in the supply and logistics system at the regional level.

Regional Platform

They also discussed creating a regional platform for users in Egypt and Africa. The platform aims to support connectivity and integration with African and Middle Eastern markets. Additionally, it aims to boost intra-African trade, and expand access to global markets.

In the meeting, they also discussed several proposed areas of cooperation. This includes reinforcing export and import opportunities for Egyptian and African products through Alibaba’s global platforms. They also touched upon accelerating digital transformation by deploying advanced data management and digital infrastructure solutions. 

They also entered discussions regarding collaboration between research institutions in Egypt, China, and African countries in the fields of AI and digital infrastructure. Additionally, they also reviewed cooperation in the healthcare sector through participation in the Africa Health ExCon 2025.

The hub seeks to position Egypt as a major logistical gateway for Africa. Additionally,  supporting sustainable development efforts and maximizing the benefits of joint African initiatives.