Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Mohamed Farid said the elevation of Egyptian-French relations to a strategic partnership provides a significant opportunity to deepen investment and trade co-operation, as he called on French investors to make Egypt a hub for investment, production and exports.
Minister Farid made the remarks while inaugurating the Egyptian-French Business Forum at the Luxembourg Palace in Paris, the seat of the French Senate, with the participation of more than 200 Egyptian and French companies and institutions, alongside French officials and representatives of the business, investment and financial communities.
The minister said Egypt’s private sector now accounts for around 65 per cent of total investment, up from less than 40%, reflecting growing market confidence and a shift towards a model in which the private sector plays a leading role in investment, production, exports and employment.
He highlighted the Egyptian economy’s resilience despite successive shocks, including the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, the war in Gaza and disruptions to navigation in the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
He noted that extensive investment over the past decade in roads, ports, energy networks, new cities and logistics infrastructure has strengthened Egypt’s production and export capacity.
According to UNCTAD, Egypt attracted approximately $15.5 billion in FDI in 2025, representing about 22% of Africa’s total inflows.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian Exchange’s market capitalisation has risen from less than LE300 billion in 2011 to around LE4.5 trillion. Economic growth reached 5.1 per cent in FY2025/26, while unemployment fell from around 8% in 2020 to 5.8 per cent.
In such a scope, Minister Farid said Egypt’s economic framework combines investment, trade, fiscal and monetary policies with regulatory reform, digital transformation and greater use of data, aimed at providing businesses with greater confidence and predictability.
Egypt-France trade reached approximately €3.08 billion in 2025, including €1.22 billion in Egyptian exports. French investment stock stands at around $8.5 billion, with more than 180 French companies operating in Egypt and over 950 French equity stakes.
The minister highlighted Egypt’s competitive operating costs and preferential access to more than 100 markets, linking Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and said the forum would help translate bilateral relations into investment, technology, production, exports and jobs.
