The development of a fourth generation of cities across Egypt – including the New Administrative Capital (NAC), New Alamein and New Aswan City – will be a key driver of construction activity in the coming years. These developments are expected to raise the competitiveness of the local market, enhance living standards and generate employment opportunities. New Cities The new cities programme dates…
As environmental concerns become increasingly pressing for governments and businesses alike, the shipping industry is taking steps to reduce its carbon footprint. In August 2021 Danish shipping company Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping line, announced that it had invested $1.4bn in eight new vessels to be powered by methanol, rather than oil-based fuels. The ships, expected to be delivered…
The government of Egypt’s long-term strategy for transport is based on maintaining a reliable logistics value chain by increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of its infrastructure. The Covid-19 pandemic affected global supply lines and caused disruptions to transport connections and cross-border travel from 2020 into 2022, with demand shocks being felt across multiple sectors. Moreover, the…
Egypt’s young, urban and tech-savvy population and well-connected middle class, combined with rising internet and mobile penetration rates, are driving the expansion of e-commerce. Confidence in the space has grown considerably since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, with sector revenue increasing at a rate of around 30% in 2018 and 2019 before escalating to almost 70% in 2020 and over 40% in 2021…
While Egypt’s agriculture sector is well established, the country continues to face challenges related to climate change, urbanisation, a rapidly expanding population, and food and water insecurity. For instance, some related industries were notably affected by Covid-19 pandemic restrictions and disruptions to the global supply chain. Egypt was among the most affected by the February 2022 invasion…
While the 2020-22 period saw supply-chain disruptions, the high number of transport projects under development has helped to bolster Egypt’s transport and logistics prospects. Indeed, 30,000 km of new roads are set to be completed by the end of 2024, and in May 2021 the government signed a memorandum of understanding to begin the development of the Bus Rapid Transit project on the Cairo Ring Road.…
The government of Egypt has placed a strong emphasis on construction as a key engine of urban growth since the ambitious IMF-backed economic reform programme in 2016. Much of the sector’s underlying demand is a result of the growing population which, in turn, has created a need to develop new cities such as the New Administrative Capital. Overall, such mega-projects look set to drive construction…
The development of Egypt’s ICT sector is supported by concerted efforts to diversify and develop a knowledge-based economy. Indeed, ICT’s contribution to GDP steadily rose from $5.1bn in FY 2017/18 to $8bn in FY 2020/21. Moreover, the pandemic saw a swift increase in demand for telecom services. In September 2021 the authorities announced a $360m plan to provide more than 60m people in 4500 villages…
Egypt has made some progress in improving industrial development, but the government is working to focus on specialisation in certain segments – particularly textiles and pharmaceuticals. Indeed, scaling up investment in manufacturing is a policy priority, as the country’s value-added growth in this sector has been sluggish compared to other emerging economies. Namely, the country aims to accelerate…
Egypt has turned its oil and gas industry around in the years since 2015: heavy investment in this industry now places Egypt in an advantageous position to capitalise on the resurgence of global travel and economic activity. The opening of new transport routes for hydrocarbons will help the country become a global energy centre connecting Europe, MENA and Asia. In addition to redeveloping its oil and…
