Planning minister courts investors for Egypt infrastructure projects

Egypt’s Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Ahmed Rostom, held a series of high-level meetings with international institutions to present the Infrastructure Finance Guarantee Facility (IFGF) on the fourth day of the 81st Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Bangkok, Thailand.
Rostom met Pietro Lazzeri, Head of Economic Co-operation and Development at the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and Governor of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), as well as Manuel Sager, Deputy Director-General and Head of Multilateral Relations at the Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC).
He also held talks with Leslie Maasdorp, Chief Executive Officer of British International Investment (BII).
During the meetings, Rostom explained that the IFGF is designed to provide guarantees for financing nationally prioritised projects, with the aim of encouraging greater private sector participation in infrastructure development.
The facility focuses on strategic sectors, including seawater desalination, wastewater recycling, green transport, distributed renewable energy (DRE) and industrial infrastructure. These investments are intended to reduce carbon emissions while strengthening productive capacity and enhancing competitiveness.
Rostom stressed that empowering the private sector remains a key government priority and a major driver of economic growth and sustainable job creation, particularly in infrastructure, renewable energy and other green sectors.
He also reviewed the government’s recent structural and economic reforms aimed at strengthening macroeconomic stability and improving public finances.
The minister noted that Egypt’s economy recorded growth of 5.1% in the previous fiscal year despite regional geopolitical challenges. He added that the outlook for the current fiscal year remains positive, supported by rising foreign exchange reserves and growth in foreign assets.
The international officials welcomed the potential of the IFGF and expressed interest in exploring opportunities for their institutions to participate in the facility and support infrastructure financing in Egypt.