Egypt’s economic reforms attract FDI despite global slowdown: El-Khatib
Updated 11/18/2025 2:14:00 PM
Arab Finance: Egypt has leveraged its radical economic reforms, attracting significant inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) despite the global slowdown, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan El-Khatib said.
His remarks came during his participation in the Bloomberg Africa Business Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in a session titled "Making Global Business Work."
The session addressed the latest transformations in global trade and highlighted their role in reshaping the ways companies and governments operate.
The gathering also identified new investment strategies and mechanisms to enable companies and economies to grow amidst the fluctuations in the global economic system.
On his part, El-Khatib noted that Egypt has invested more than $550 billion in essential infrastructure, including highways, railways, and new cities, over the past 10 years.
The minister reviewed the positive results of the economic reforms, noting that remittances from Egyptians abroad have nearly doubled from $20 billion to $37 billion.
Inflation plummeted from over 40% to 11.7% now, with expectations to reach single digits by 2026.
He also indicated that the fiscal reforms and trade policies resulted in a 35% increase in tax revenues, with the trade deficit projected to hit its lowest level since 2010 by the end of 2025.
Regarding the African continent, the minister stressed the importance of fully implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), especially since intra-African trade does not exceed 14%-16%, when compared to around 75% in Europe.
The minister affirmed Egypt’s commitment to deepening industrialization and localization across Africa to keep raw materials within the continent.
In the same vein, he touched upon the road project linking Egypt with Chad via Libya, which will create vital connectivity and open up vast markets for the goods and services of these countries.
Moreover, he urged enhanced cooperation to address logistical challenges such as high shipping costs and the provision of banking systems that support intra-African trade.
Related News
