Egypt is hosting the Alamein-Africa Forum, a pan-African event bringing heads of government and states, government representatives and business people together to promote African economic development and integration. It is being held in Egypt’s flagship “smart city,” New Alamein, as a model for other African countries. Some 1,500 participants are expected to attend the event October 2-4.

While the conference officially opens on October 3, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly held a welcoming session on October 2, where he said the Forum aims to turn the continent’s economic potential into investment and concrete projects by bringing governments, businesses, and development and financial institutions together on a permanent biennial platform. Madbouly said the inaugural edition represents the beginning of a process that Egypt hopes will expand from one edition to the next, allowing partnerships, expertise, and projects to accumulate.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi will inaugurate the session on Saturday, Oct. 3. In parallel to the forum, President El-Sisi will co-chair the summit of the founding member states of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) with the President of Angola, João Lourenço, who also serves as Chairperson of the AUDA-NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC). In attendance will be the heads and representatives of the agency’s founding member states—Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa—alongside the President of Burundi, in his capacity as the current Chairperson of the African Union, representatives of the African Union Commission, and the CEO of AUDA-NEPAD. The Egyptian President will also participate in the 8th African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, held in New Alamein on Sunday, October 4. The meeting will bring together African leaders and heads of regional economic communities.