Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh:
- We are developing Egypt’s investment ecosystem through precise KPIs and regularly updated dashboards.
- We aim to attract quality investments that support sustainable economic growth.
- Launching professionally managed investment funds to support startups growth and attract international institutions as strategic partners.
- Developing Egypt’s carbon market represents an opportunity to attract new green investments.
- We are transferring the successful fintech experience to the foreign trade sector through launching a TradeTech Sandbox.
- Preparing stakeholder mapping ensures precise targeting of international investors.
As part of the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade’s (MIFT) efforts, headed by Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, to boost Egypt’s competitiveness as a global investment hub, the Minister held an extensive meeting with representatives of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to discuss the key components of his plan for developing Egypt’s business and investment climate and to explore opportunities for partnership and collaboration in its execution.
The meeting reviewed strategies to advance sustainable finance, support startups, and activate digital and green economy tools, alongside practical initiatives aimed at improving investment governance, strengthening digital transparency, and launching advanced capacity-building programs. It also discussed innovative strategies to expand the carbon market and link it with corporate social responsibility, helping to attract quality investments and achieve sustainable economic development.
The Minister emphasized that the reform and development plan is based on restructuring the management of Egypt’s investment portfolio in a systematic and transparent manner, grounded in clear performance indicators and precise measurement mechanisms. He noted that evaluating MIFT’s affiliated entities will rely on key indicators including targeted foreign direct investment inflows, the number of newly established companies, and priority strategic sectors, with these indicators monitored through a dashboard updated monthly to ensure objective and accurate assessment.
Dr. Farid explained that the Ministry aims to modernize databases and integrate them into a modern business system to ensure full control over export and import data, enabling more precise and effective investment decision-making. He stressed that the provision of accurate company data—including financial statements and tax compliance—will be a prerequisite for accessing government services, as data accuracy is essential for calculating foreign direct investment, national savings rates, and sound economic decision-making.
The meeting also addressed the launch of investment funds for startups, including the development of a professional governance structure to ensure sustainable financing and the long-term success of Egyptian ventures. Discussions highlighted attracting international partners as strategic partners—not only as financiers but also as contributors to project selection criteria and performance monitoring.
Both sides explored opportunities for cooperation with the IFC across several mechanisms, including technical support, targeting global investors interested in carbon credits, and encouraging local companies to purchase these credits as part of their environmental commitments. The discussions also covered linking carbon credit purchases to corporate social responsibility programs, transforming corporate environmental commitments into direct financing for farmers and small environmental projects that contribute to emission reductions while delivering economic and social returns.
The meeting reviewed the establishment of an official carbon project registry to document emission-reduction projects and a comprehensive platform to present them to international financiers. It also explored expanding the issuance and trading of International Renewable Energy Certificates (I-RECs) to enhance the attractiveness of clean energy projects.
Within the framework of digital transformation and transferring the successful fintech model to the trade sector, the Minister presented MIFT’s vision for launching a TradeTech Sandbox—a dedicated regulatory environment for trade technology designed to leverage big data and advanced analytics to open new markets and boost Egyptian exports.
He explained that this sandbox will enable the integration of data from the General Organization for Export and Import Control, the Commercial Representation Authority, and the Ministry of Industry with relevant international data. This integration will provide a precise understanding of markets and investment and export opportunities, while engaging AI-focused startups to develop software solutions that analyze data and map stakeholders and potential importers with full confidentiality.
Dr. Farid emphasized that the development plan places strong focus on human capital as the main driver of MIFT’s new strategy. He noted the MIFT’s efforts to enhance the efficiency and capabilities of employees across all affiliated entities, enabling them to manage investments and projects in a systematic and scientific manner. This approach aims to improve the quality of investment services, safeguard local knowledge to ensure the sustainability of efforts, and empower teams to conduct structured marketing to investors.
Dr. Farid further explored the potential for collaboration on developing stakeholder maps (Stakeholder Mapping) to allow MIFT to precisely identify target investors and partners and link investment opportunities to real demand in both local and international markets through data-driven analysis.
In closing, the Minister affirmed MIFT’s commitment to expanding cooperation with the International Finance Corporation in the coming period to support the State’s efforts to improve the business environment and stimulate investment, highlighting that MIFT is implementing a comprehensive vision to modernize the investment and foreign trade ecosystem through digital transformation, enhanced transparency, and institutional capacity-building, helping attract more quality investments, open new opportunities for Egyptian exports, and strengthen the competitiveness of the national economy.
