Between Egypt and Africa, there is Gamal Abd El-Nasser

Written by: Dr. Sarah Hesham Mohamed Rashed

The leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser, was born on January 15, 1918, in Alexandria, to a family of common people whose roots go back to the town of Bani Mur in Assiut Governorate. He joined the Military Academy in 1937. Gamal Abdel Nasser graduated as an officer in 1938 and was appointed to the infantry corps in Assiut and Alexandria. He worked in Sudan before being appointed as a lecturer at the Staff College. Gamal Abdel Nasser was one of the architects and makers of the Non-Aligned Organization through the role he played, with the participation of Sukarno and Tito in particular, during the Bandung Conference in 1955. It must pursue an independent policy based on the coexistence of countries with different political and social systems and not take sides or show a trend that supports this policy. A non-aligned state must support national independence movements. The state should not be a member of a collective military pact that took place in the context of a conflict between the major powers. Non-aligned targets were achieved in some conferences, such as the Cairo Conference (1964), attended by 25 countries: support for national liberation movements and economic cooperation between the countries of the movement. The Lusaka Conference in Zambia (1970) was attended by 45 countries; it emphasized world peace and the acceleration of economic development in the NAM countries.

Also, Egypt witnessed a great economic renaissance during the era of the late leader Gamal Abdel Nasser and the implementation of major national projects that contributed to the advancement of the Egyptian economy. Within each farmer, there are five feddans. The Egyptian economy during the era of "Abdel Nasser" was able to bear the cost of completing the construction of the High Dam, which is considered the greatest engineering and development project in the twentieth century. Many factories were established, and the Egyptian economy was able in 1969 to achieve an increase in the trade surplus. Egyptian stores were displaying and selling Egyptian products such as food, clothes, furniture, electrical appliances, etc., and Egypt established the largest industrial base in the Third World, as evidenced by the number of factories established in Abdel Nasser's era. There were 1200 factories, including heavy, transformational, and strategic industries. Moreover, the nationalisation of the Suez Canal was a major and important step that contributed to Egypt's benefit from the canal and the introduction of large financial resources to the state. 

Gamal Abd El-Nasser was a dreamer with long-term goals related to the people, and he was an inspiration to the African people. He was also a personality very imbued with African culture and thought, and he adopted the idea of eliminating colonialism and the independence of African countries. He established 25 radio stations directed to Africa in different African languages and dialects, as well as through the Egyptian intelligence, and this is witnessed by the African Society in Egypt, which used to host many leaders of African national liberation movements such as Lumumba and Kenyatta, and they used to meet with President Abdel Nasser himself. His view of Africa was very positive and supportive, as he believed that it was the right of the oppressed and exploited African person to have a job and a decent life. 

He supported the movement in several countries, including South Africa, against the apartheid regime, and he was accused of supporting the anti-apartheid movements in South Africa. Even Nelson Mandela himself used to say, "I was standing on my feet to see the Egyptian, who was in the north of the continent." The impact of Abdel Nasser’s experience in Africa still remains, and the role played by Egyptian soft power also remains until now. Evidence says that we have reclaimed our role once again as a result of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's balanced policy, his interest in the countries of the African continent, and his development of a very good Egyptian strategy to face the new challenges facing Egypt.