Construction

As a result of the ongoing political unrest, the expansion of Egypt’s real estate sector has slowed considerably in recent years. Since demonstrations kicked off in early 2011, developers, investors and potential purchasers have postponed many deals, and, in some cases, cancelled projects outright. While uncertainty has continued to grow in some...

Over the past 20 years, there has been a clear trend in many countries towards using the private sector to run public services or to commission new infrastructure projects, often-times in public-private partnerships (PPPs), and Egypt is no exception. Egypt first adopted the principle of PPPs under the Hosni Mubarak regime. In 2010, the government...

The Egyptian real estate market continues to exhibit potential, despite facing many challenges in the near term. Some of these, such as uncertainty, are the result of the turbulence following the 2011 revolution, while others, such as issues relating to the availability of land, date back several decades and will require sustained government action...

Although Egypt lacks a strong mortgage lending segment, promoting home lending is not a current political priority. However, over the longer term, developing a stronger lending framework could assist in assuaging the country’s housing crisis.

In December 2012, the Egyptian cabinet agreed to postpone the implementation of the country’s new property tax law – which had been due to take effect in January – until July 2013. The new law, which was intended to expand the tax base, was introduced to the statute book in 2008 under former president Hosni Mubarak but had not yet been implemented...