Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade and Chairman of the Sovereign Fund of Egypt, Mohamed Farid, met on Saturday with a delegation from S&P Global Ratings, led by Director and Lead Analyst Ravi Bhatia, to discuss developments in the Egyptian economy, investment opportunities and ongoing efforts to improve the business and investment climate.
During the meeting, Farid said the government is implementing a comprehensive package of structural and institutional reforms aimed at facilitating business activities, enhancing competitiveness and attracting both domestic and foreign investment.
He highlighted the forthcoming “Economic Entities Platform”, developed in coordination with some 90 government bodies, which will provide a unified digital gateway for company incorporation, licences, approvals and documentation, reducing procedural duplication.
The new platform is designed to enable investors to track their applications through an integrated investor journey.
The minister said Egypt plans to establish eight or nine new investment zones across the country over the next two to three years, showcasing the state’s targeted approach to attract foreign direct investment (FDI), based on a strategy developed with the World Bank identifying 12 promising sectors.
The ministry is working with government entities to prepare ready-to-implement opportunities in healthcare, tourism, housing and energy, while continuing to refine investment legislation and procedures and encourage greater private-sector participation.
Minister Farid has stressed the importance of stronger economic data collection, disclosure and governance, including electronically linking FDI and disclosure systems to improve data quality and measure investment flows, including reinvested earnings, in line with international standards.
He further highlighted the Sovereign Fund’s role in developing State-owned assets and mitigating investment risks through specialised sub-funds, including the industrial investment sub-fund, with authorised capital of LE10 billion and paid-in capital of LE500 million, alongside the financial services and insurance sub-fund.
The minister noted that balanced fiscal and monetary policies are supporting macroeconomic stability and investor confidence amid changing global conditions.
S&P’s Bhatia highlighted Egypt’s market size, strategic location and infrastructure development as significant investment strengths.
He welcomed the government’s economic reform programme and stressed the importance of continued institutional and digital reforms, simpler procedures, greater transparency and improved economic data to strengthen investor confidence and support sustainable growth.
