Egypt

Agriculture directly accounts for about one-third of employment and provides income for over half of the population. Exports have risen rapidly in recent years and there is large potential for growth. The total value of exports of foodstuffs was estimated at $1.08bn in 2011/12, a decline from the $1.18bn recorded during the previous year. This will, however, require better harnessing the...

Aided in part by the large domestic market, a spate of new industrial facilities, competitive labour costs and increasing urbanisation, the fundamentals of the Egyptian construction market look promising. The Egyptian real estate sector has continued to see growth, which has helped to support some contractors, but companies relying on work in the infrastructure segment, particularly those...

One of the country’s biggest magnets for foreign investment, Egypt’s ICT sector is well positioned to enjoy long-term growth. Internet penetration has been growing steadily, thanks to increasing accessibility, rising demand and more diverse content. More than 33m Egyptians access the internet, with broadband connections comprising over 90% of all internet connections. As of mid-2013, internet...

As the largest non-OPEC oil producer in Africa as well as the continent’s second-largest natural gas producer, Egypt’s hydrocarbons resources and production play a central role in the nation’s economy. While the sector was nationalised in the 1960s, more recent reorganisations have created separate authorities for oil, gas and petrochemicals, which has allowed the private sector to play a bigger...

It has been a difficult few years for Egypt’s economically vital tourism sector, in the wake of the 2011 revolution and with civil unrest continuing to occur in the summer of 2013. However, the country still managed to attract millions of foreign visitors, even discounting the number of arrivals who were not tourists per se. However, 2013 may prove tough. The disturbances earlier in the year, and...

Egypt has long served as one of the world’s oldest transport hubs. For millennia, its position, straddling major trade routes between Asia, Africa and Europe, has made the country a commercial and cultural crossroads, and since 1879 it has been home to the Suez Canal, through which 10% of the world’s total trade volume passes. Thanks largely to the canal, the transport sector has helped to buffer...