Africa Economy

While Egypt continues to face considerable economic challenges as it confronts the legacy of its recent political history, at the outset of 2017 the nation’s economic planners have room for optimism. A process of fiscal reform is well under way, a long-awaited legal framework aimed at attracting new investment is almost in place, a...

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial role in the Egyptian economy, although a historic lack of definitions and the large size of the informal economy have made it hard for government planners to scale their contribution. “Access to information on the SME sector is a major challenge and, as many operate in the informal...

It has been a long battle, but after years of defending the local currency, the Egyptian government has showed it was willing to end its grip on the pound in 2016, floating the currency after months of speculation. The effects of this decision are likely to be one of the key economic talking points of 2017. As with other significant...

The government has scored some minor successes in the area of taxation over the past two years. The introduction of the long-awaited real estate tax in 2014 was a victory in principle, given its complicated gestation since it was first proposed in 2008.

Surrounded as Egypt is by a number of challenging geopolitical situations, ranging from civil war in Syria to instability in Iraq and Libya, navigation of the region’s politics has become a more fraught exercise for the administration of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. Yet, as it has done for decades, Cairo continues to exert a significant...

The current government has adopted an expansive foreign policy in the last two years. While the country’s dealings with the international community are often rooted in the region’s current problems, Cairo is also pursuing an agenda that supports growth at home.