El-Khatib outlines Egypt’s economic reform plans for next 5 years

Updated 1/15/2026 10:20:00 AM

Arab Finance: Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan El-Khatib reviewed Egypt’s economic vision for the next five years, according to a statement.

In his speech during a panel discussion at the American University in Cairo (AUC) entitled “Economic Outlook & Strategic Leadership,” El-Khatib affirmed that the government is adopting a significant approach to cope with regional and international changes.

The current monetary policy is based on inflation targeting, which contributes to enhancing competitiveness and building a strong production base, the minister noted.

He reviewed the positive results of the monetary policy shift, indicating that net foreign assets had turned from negative levels to between $15 billion and $20 billion.

Meanwhile, remittances from Egyptians abroad hiked to $37 billion, with expectations of further increases. The state also registered a rise in foreign currency reserves to $51 billion.

The government plans to simplify the tax system and reduce burdens by implementing successive reform packages to ease the burden on taxpayers.

The minister elaborated that these reforms were reflected in a 35% increase in tax revenue within a single year, the highest rate achieved since 2005.

Additionally, these efforts have contributed to reducing customs clearance time from around 16 days to 5.8 days, thus improving the business climate and lowering trade costs.

The government's current approach focuses on maximizing the utilization of state-owned assets and improving their management to create greater added value, the minister added.

Finally, he stressed that sustainability and green energy represent the future of the Egyptian economy, highlighting the state’s potential in solar and wind energy, which can be deployed to meet the country's needs and for export.