Egypt’s
private sector secured a total of $2.9 billion (about EGP 136.5 billion) in
financing in 2025, accounting for around 65 percent of total investments,
according to a statement by the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and
International Cooperation.
The sector also
obtained around $300 million (approximately EGP 14.1 billion) in development
grants during the year, in addition to concessional financing for the public
sector and budget support, the ministry said in a report titled Growth,
Employment and Resilience: Preparing the Egyptian Economy for the Future.
This brings the
total financing mobilized for the private sector to around $17 billion (about
EGP 800 billion) since 2020.
The report reviews
the second edition of Egypt’s economic development narrative, examining its
implementation, strategy, reforms, financing mechanisms, and partnerships, and
assessing how these efforts have contributed to increasing private sector
participation while sustaining positive economic indicators despite regional
pressures, including inflation and supply chain disruptions.
The government has
set a target for the private sector to account for 72 percent of total
investment by 2030. Achieving this goal would require private capital to nearly
triple in real terms over the next five years, signaling a deliberate shift
away from a state-led economic model.
The narrative
prioritizes human development as the main driver of economic growth, aiming to
achieve 7.5 percent growth by 2030 through increased private investment,
exports, and human capital development, alongside stronger job creation. It
also sets targets for annual foreign direct investment to reach $24.6 billion
and total exports to rise to $145 billion.
In addition, the
framework addresses industrial development, local and foreign investments,
foreign trade, green transition, the non-banking financial sector, and labor
market efficiency.
The second edition
of the narrative seeks to address structural gaps in Egypt’s economy as the
International Monetary Fund (IMF)-backed Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program
approaches its conclusion, with the Fund urging faster implementation of
reforms to support a more competitive, private sector-led growth model.
Meetings for the
fifth and sixth reviews of the EFF are currently underway. Once approved, the
completion of these reviews, together with the first review of the Resilience
and Sustainability Facility (RSF), is expected to unlock around $2.5 billion in
financing for Egypt.
The IMF has raised
its forecast for Egypt’s real GDP growth in fiscal year 2025/2026 to 4.7
percent, up from 4.5 percent projected in October, and expects growth to
increase further to 5.4 percent in FY2026/2027.
Source: Al-Ahram Online