Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Karim Badawi, participated in a session on ‘Enhancing Regional Cooperation to Attract Investments to Egypt and the Region’. This session was part of the U.S.-Egypt Policy Leaders Forum 2025, organized by the American Chamber of Commerce. The event saw the participation of John Christmann, CEO of Apache Corporation and Chairman of the U.S.-Egypt Business Council, along with several heads of foreign oil companies operating in Egypt, leaders from the petroleum sector, and members of both the American Chamber of Commerce and the U.S.-Egypt Business Council.

Badawi gave a presentation at the opening of the session on the strategic pillars of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources’ current work. He emphasized that Egypt enjoys distinguished strategic partnerships with 57 international oil companies.

The minister pointed out that the presence of several American oil companies in Egypt’s petroleum sector has contributed to numerous achievements. He also noted  that while Egypt serves as a gateway to the African continent, the petroleum sector is fully prepared to form partnerships with American companies to expand their operations in Africa.

Badawi affirmed that Egypt possesses a diverse and distinguished infrastructure in the fields of oil, gas, and mining. The minister further emphasized that achieving value-added goals from Egypt’s petroleum and mining wealth is a priority in the Ministry’s strategy. This is exemplified by efforts  to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and increase the contribution of renewable energies to Egypt’s energy mix, which will provide resources as inputs for value-added industries from fossil fuels, particularly natural gas.

For his part, Christmann confirmed that Apache has been operating in Egypt for more than three decades and considers it one of its most important operational areas worldwide. He added that he has witnessed significant progress recently in the work system within the Egyptian petroleum sector and strong support for partners in carrying out their operations, which has resulted in numerous discoveries.

Christmann highlighted his appreciation for the sincere desire of the political leadership and the Egyptian government to implement reforms and achieve real change in all fields. He affirmed that the future is promising in the gas sector in the Western Desert and that his company aims to unlock more and more gas potential in Egypt.