Last month, upon the heels of the UN General Assembly, I had the absolute pleasure to accept an invitation to visit the Egyptian cities of Cairo and Alexandria from the National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries (NIOF) of Egypt. Professors Hamouda, Moneer and El-Gharabawy, are technical experts in both oceanography and sustainability and truly understand the importance of building the political will necessary to progress the sustainable use of ocean resources. This focus and depth of purpose was evident in all of my interactions in Egypt and ignited a true passion for collaborating across all of its ministries to take our mandate on knowledge sharing, capacity building and pursuit of the best available science to its next level.
My official visit commenced with an opportunity to attend the Egypt Mining Forum (EMF) taking place in Cairo. This annual event is an international mining conference and exhibition hosted by the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, and attended by government officials, global mining companies, investors, exploration firms, and technology providers. They bill it as a strategic platform to showcase Egypt’s geological potential, highlight ongoing mining policy reforms, attract foreign investment, and foster regional cooperation—particularly across the mineral-rich Arabian-Nubian Shield. I was invited to speak at the opening side event by the Africa Mining Strategy Group, which took the form of a Ministerial & CEO Roundtable.
The theme of the Roundtable was “From Exploration to Markets: Strengthening Africa’s Geological Data, Mineral Value Chains, Responsible Sourcing and Long-Term Supply Chain Security.” It convened Ministers from Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Uganda, CEOs, investors and financial institutions for an action-oriented dialogue focused on practical commitments to unlock investment and advance competitive, integrated and investable mineral value chains. Minister Badawi of Egypt’s Petroleum and Mineral Resources remarked that “winning does not have to come at the loss of others and that Egypt views every partner for how it can contribute to the success of industry, government and community.” I really appreciated this sentiment as it goes to the spirit of what ISA stands for in relation to the principle of the deep seabed being the common heritage of humankind; and crucially that the Area is not for sale to the highest bidder or mightiest power. But rather is grounded in collaboration, benefit- sharing and equity for all countries, least developed, developed, landlocked or coastal.
I took the opportunity to express the absolute importance of African leadership in the on-going negotiations of the ISA and to request more active participation by all African Member States to ensure that the design of the rules, regulations and procedures, and standards and guidelines that will give assurances around the protection of the marine environment, will fully reflect the opportunities that Africa stands to gain if it functions as a cohesive voice. I also provided what I feel is both good news and bad.
The good, that there is a mechanism called the Economic and Planning Commission (EPC) that can reconcile some of the concerns around the value chain interplay of land mining and deep-sea mining. The bad news is that the tabling of its operationalization at the July Session did not yield an approval. I therefore called on participants, as beneficiaries of the idea, to own it, fight for it and to be the architects of its future. I also had the chance to brief the attendees on the amazing role Egypt has taken though its hosting of the Joint Training and Research Center and invited greater participation in ISA’s African Academy for Deep Sea Diplomacy, hosted by Cameroon.
On day two, the EMF was officially opened by H.E. Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, after which I was honoured to attend a high-level panel towards “Strengthening the Middle East and North Africa’s Role as a Critical Minerals Corridor.” I joined distinguished panelists from World Bank Group, The International Council on Mining and Metals, Intergovernmental Forum on Mining and Africa Minerals Strategy Group for an excellent discussion on how credible institutional governance, aligned with international standards, help the region attract investment, strengthen trust and build a more competitive and sustainable mining sector.
This was an obvious good fit for ISA and gave me the chance to highlight how sustainability, through protection of the marine environment from potential harmful effects of human activity before it takes place, is crucial to our mandate; and as I’ve said before very unique in human history. I also spoke to the fact that a credible critical-minerals corridor depends not only on geology, capital and infrastructure, but also on sound governance, strong institutions, international cooperation and predictable rules. In this sense, the ISA experience offers a distinctive example of treaty-based mineral governance under UNCLOS, combining environmental protection, scientific requirements, transparency, equitable participation and the interests of developing States. Finally, I remarked that clear, science-based and credible regulatory framework provides confidence to States, operators, investors and other stakeholders. This event also provided an opportunity to invite all countries from the region to have a seat at the table in establishing the code of the ISA regime.
Over the two days of the EMF, beyond ministerial interactions at the events, I was able to personally introduce the ISA to H.E. Hassan Ali Joho, E.G.H. Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs of Kenya, and briefly, Ugandan Minister of State – Mineral Development, Hon. Phiona Nyamutoro,
with whom we agreed to find a time in the near future to explore continued close collaboration between Uganda and ISA. Uganda has been an important voice in ISA negotiations with Ambassador Duncan Muhumuza Laki serving as the President of the ISA Council for its 30th Session in 2025.
In my bilateral meeting with Egypt’s Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Wael Hamad, the discussions covered the meaningful work that Egypt is leading through the JTRC and laid out opportunities to use this centre as a capacity building hub for the entire region, and beyond, engaging development partners from Africa, Asia and Europe.
On our last day in Cairo, I attended a High-Level Leadership Roundtable in the new administrative capital: “From discovery to industrial development – building investor confidence across Egypt’s mining value chain,” hosted by H.E. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt. This was an extremely engaging discussion where I was able to contribute ISA’s institutional perspective on credible governance and to position the existing Egypt-ISA partnership as a practical platform for science, knowledge, capacity development and wider regional engagement. I believe that the discussion garnered great interest in the work of ISA amongst the ministers and industry alike.
Overall, I feel that these engagements in Cairo offered an exceptional opportunity to communicate three main points: first, that investor confidence depends not only on geology, finance or incentives, but also on clear responsibilities, transparent procedures, consistent treatment, credible environmental requirements and institutions able to implement commitments. Regulatory certainty should mean certainty of process – not a guarantee of approval, commercial return or timetable.
ISA’s own experience illustrates why strong institutions and clear procedures are essential to long-term confidence; second, that value creation begins before extraction. Geological and environmental knowledge, science, data, skills, technology and institutional competence determine whether mineral potential can become responsible and durable development. The strongest mineral strategies connect resources with a wider capability system – science, skills, technology, infrastructure, processing and institutions – so that value extends beyond any individual project; and third, that Egypt and ISA already have a platform for translating these principles into cooperation.
The JTRC provides a practical basis for deeper Egypt-ISA cooperation. It demonstrates that investment in knowledge, environmental expertise, training and institutional capability is itself strategic infrastructure. A forward-looking direction would be to build progressively on the JTRC as a stronger regional platform serving Egypt while supporting wider African and Arab/MENA participation in marine science, environmental knowledge, capacity development and international seabed governance.
The next stop was the historic city of Alexandria to visit NIOF headquarters and see first-hand the impressive work the centre is undertaking. The week before my visit, and due to UNGA I could not attend, ISA and NIOF collaborated to host a second training organized through the ISA-Egypt Joint Training and Research Centre (JTRC). The week of training included 21 participants from 12 African and Asian countries (Cameroon, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nigeria, Somalia, Tanzania, and Yemen) who completed a session on the Scientific and Technical Aspects related to Regional Environmental Management Plan (REMPs) in the Area, with a focus on the Indian Ocean. I invite readers to learn more about the Training Session here.
The placement of the JTRC in this spectacular city with, its rich history of promoting a nexus of arts, science, trad and global cooperation, as well as being a hub of thought leadership made me very proud and excited for what can be accomplished. I was so warmly welcomed by NIOF’s leadership and deeply honoured to have been officially recognized for my support and leadership of the JTRC, underscoring ISA’s commitment to scientific cooperation through deep-sea research, capacity development, knowledge sharing and protection of the marine environment.
I was deeply impressed by the work that NIOF is doing at its headquarters in so many areas of oceanographic science. Their capabilities extend from conducting a broad spectrum of field, laboratory, and applied research, fish stock assessments and aquaculture innovation, as well as serving as the country’s official National Tsunami Warning Centre and Tsunami Warning focal point, operating under the framework of the UNESCO-IOC Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System in the North-Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and Connected Seas. The institute’s Marine Hazards Mitigation Center conducts numerical simulations and scenario-based hazard modeling (such as assessing historical Hellenic and Cyprian arc earthquake impacts on Alexandria and the Nile Delta. Their work with the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, and their on-site aquarium, are game- changing for the prospects of inspiring the next generation of young deep-sea scientists and oceanographers.
Their vision of regional cooperation is so well developed that I see on their shoulders a mighty stewardship to build bridges between wisdom and willingness across the continent, to West Asia and to Europe. I view this group of colleagues as true trailblazers who have the technical expertise and political understanding to help realise the vision that is the common heritage of humankind. I very much look forward to advancing this vision together, which includes bringing countries together to build a roadmap for African engagement in ISA negotiations. I must say that one of my personal highlights was seeing the beautiful archival renderings of ocean species from 1826. What an inspiration as an oceanographer to see these meticulous drawings from so long ago that enable us even now to better understand ocean biodiversity.
My final engagement in Alexandria was with Governor Ayman Mohammed Ibrahim Ahmed Ateyya. We agreed that this was the right place and right moment for Egypt to expand its leadership role in ISA matters and to triangulate interests across Africa, West Asia and Europe. We spoke about the importance of training and capacity building and the Governor suggested that we explore collaborations with their top universities to increase opportunities for young academics to get involved in deep sea-science and the law of the sea. He gave us his full support for the JTRC to become a centre of excellence for advancing the work of the ISA on the continent and I felt truly privileged to hear the stories of ancient Egypt and how this history plays such a crucial role in its decision making today; for example, through its interest now in supporting ISA’s work on Underwater Cultural Heritage.
I had a brief encounter with Egypt’s own underwater cultural heritage at the spectacular Grand Egyptian Museum Cairo. This statue of Ptolemaic Queen (~305-330 BC) was recovered from the Mediterranean seabed. Queens had important political and religious roles during this period.
What impressed me greatly about the perspective of Egyptian leadership was the warm welcome to friends and strangers alike and its sincerity in building bridges across different cultures and views. Leaving Egypt, with my last stop at the historic Citadel, I knew that this is truly the beginning of something great, rooted in a rich history that has now segued into a global vision and authentically progressive approach. I feel very grateful for the exceptional hospitality and for all of those who took the time to explore the potential of what promises to be an outstanding, and enduring, collaboration.
