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Centamin Egypt: Annual General Meeting Chairman's Address

TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 11/27/09 -- The following is the address of Sami El-Raghy, Executive Chairman of Centamin Egypt Limited ("Centamin" or "the Company")(TSX: CEE)(ASX: CNT)(LSE: CEY) at the Annual General Meeting held today in London, England.

Fellow Shareholders

I would like to take this opportunity to advise that I will be standing down as the Chairman of Centamin from 31 December 2009, to pursue new personal endeavors and challenges. Over the last 16 years, Centamin has made the difficult transition from exploration to development and now production. It is with great pride that I leave Centamin in the capable hands of Josef, my son, who has demonstrated since joining the Company in 2002 his ability to build and manage a highly successful and fast growing gold mining business.

The journey which Centamin embarked upon many years ago witnessed many challenges. When I took control of Centamin in 1993, the Company was capitalized at less than half a million dollars, had nearly 2 million dollars in debt, had no projects and was as good as dead.

Today, Centamin has one of the largest gold mines outside of the majors, with ever increasing reserves and resources, highly promising exploration prospects, and a committed and highly efficient Egyptian staff and management team led by our Managing Director. The Company's vision of establishing itself as a major North African mining house is now a reality. The Company has pioneered modern minerals exploration and development in this region and is very well set to capitalize on and take advantage of additional opportunities which will surely come its way. The best is yet to come for Centamin.

Building a project of the size and scale of Sukari as well as bringing an entirely new industry into the region will always have its challenges. It is not just a matter of speaking the language, you must understand and respect the culture, you must have the credibility and standing in the community which puts you beyond doubt and above rumours and innuendos which can be very destructive. I am pleased to say that despite the many hurdles which have stood in our way, we have successfully built a large and sustainable business which will generate jobs, wealth at local and national levels, and has harnessed the considerable skills which Egypt has to offer in the region.

This is my last address as the Chairman of Centamin. As such, there are many people who I should acknowledge for helping me along the way, particularly when the times were tough. To all of them I say thank you and I hope you gained from this experience as much as I did. My special acknowledgement goes to some whose names are not necessarily in the Company's annual reports or publications, but who are fundamental to this Company's success.


--  Mike Kriewaldt, who lead the charge at Sukari, laid the foundation for
    technical excellence and stayed at Sukari for three years without a real
    break. His only time away from Sukari was a half day trip to Edfu every
    so often for a haircut, or to Hurghada to renew his work permit. There
    was serious work to be done, and he was there doing it - ore to be
    delineated, staff to be trained. But when you have the strong technical
    background, the ingenuity and the ambition to succeed, nothing else
    counts. This spirit of determination to succeed moulded the Sukari group
    into a closely knit family.

--  El-Hag Mohamed, Youssef and Esmat El-Raghy, I'm very fortunate and proud
    to have my three brothers' support. The amount of work and sacrifices
    these individuals have put in was, and still is, crucial for the success
    of Centamin. I won't begin to try to provide you with examples of their
    work and sacrifices as there are simply too many to mention. Their
    forward-thinking has helped us avoid what could otherwise have been
    serious issues. I extend my deepest gratitude to all three of them.

--  John Lynch, who kept our Perth office pumping 24 hours a day, seven days
    a week providing all administration and technical support. He was always
    there, no matter what time. What was needed to be done, was done. There
    was never an excuse. "Impossible" is not a word found in John's
    vocabulary.

--  Dennis Franks, whose advice and assistance were crucial for directing
    our focus to the London market. He and John also aided the completion of
    the 2 million tonnes per annum feasibility study, which proved beyond
    doubt the viability of the project and thus the approval of the Egyptian
    government of the declaration of commercial discovery which cemented our
    position in Egypt.

--  Brian Speechly - His "no nonsense" approach to mining has always been
    inspirational to me, not only with Centamin, but during my earlier
    career with various multinational corporations. His mine designs, in my
    opinion, are second to none in the profession.

--  Bob Catto, who introduced us to the London market, realized our
    potential, and stood by us when times were tough.

--  Rick Cavaney, who in the early days, spent years on site mapping and
    interpreting the Sukari geology. Rick authored the geological report
    which formed part of our feasibility study.

--  Last, and most certainly not least, our brilliant and highly able
    assistants, Marwa and Haidy in Egypt, Maureen and Heidi in Australia.
    Each of these ladies is a whole team on her own.


In closing, I would like also to sincerely acknowledge the various Egyptian Ministers, Army & Police Commands, National Security Commands, Red Sea Governors, Head and members of the Parliamentary Industrial & Resources Committee, Members of Parliament and all those I have had the honor to work with to bring this important new phase of the gold mining Industry to Egypt.

Once again, I would like to personally thank all shareholders. I sincerely trust that you continue to give your whole hearted support to Josef as he leads your Company to new heights.

Thank you very much

Sami El-Raghy, Chairman

27 November 2009

ABN 86 007 700 352

Contacts:
Centamin Egypt Limited
Josef El-Raghy
+ 61 (8) 9316 2640
www.centamin.com

Buchanan Communications Limited
Bobby Morse
+ 44 (0) 207 7466 5000

Buchanan Communications Limited
Ben Willey
+ 44 (0) 207 7466 5000

Ambrian Partners Limited
Richard Brown
+ 44 (0) 207 7634 4700

Ambrian Partners Limited
Richard Greenfield
+ 44 (0) 207 7634 4700

Investec Investment Banking
Gerard Kisbey-Green
+ 44 (0)207 597 4000

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