As Egypt enters 2018, a newly liberalised local currency and the recent implementation of a much-anticipated investment framework have left the country well positioned for continued economic expansion: the IMF expects GDP growth to reach 4.5% in 2018 and accelerate to around 6% over the medium term.
Several major multinational manufacturers have announced plans to expand production in Egypt and use the country as a regional manufacturing base on the back of an improving macroeconomic outlook.
Egypt has a well-established system of special zones, industrial zones and free zones, overseen primarily by the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI). The current zones system was established in 1997 and includes 10 public free zones clustered in and around Cairo, Alexandria and in areas close to Cairo’s waterways.
Sourcing natural gas is one of the chief obstacles for Egypt’s heavy industries, as shortages have persisted since 2014 (see Energy chapter). Gas is sold through the state-owned Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), which has prioritised supply to the power sector and residential consumers. This has left industrial buyers facing...
Egypt’s retail market is competitive and highly fragmented. The maturing formal retail sector features a range of shopping malls, supermarkets, hypermarkets and smaller franchised competitors, as well as the more informal options that have traditionally served Egypt’s shopping needs, such as souqs, street vendors, independent high-street shops...
Egypt’s foreign exchange troubles throughout 2015-16 have sparked intense debate in the automotive industry, where the challenges have led to multiple reform proposals to shore up a troubled area of the country’s industrial production. Concerns peaked in April 2015, when Mercedes-Benz announced a partial exit, claiming it would continue to...
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