World Bank’s IFC to Help Egypt Monetize State Assets

Vehicles drive on a road next to the construction site of the Iconic Tower skyscraper in the Central Business District (CBD), which is being built by China State Construction Engineering Corp (CSCEC) in the New Administrative Capital (NAC) east of Cairo, Egypt January 15, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo
Vehicles drive on a road next to the construction site of the Iconic Tower skyscraper in the Central Business District (CBD), which is being built by China State Construction Engineering Corp (CSCEC) in the New Administrative Capital (NAC) east of Cairo, Egypt January 15, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo
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World Bank’s IFC to Help Egypt Monetize State Assets

Vehicles drive on a road next to the construction site of the Iconic Tower skyscraper in the Central Business District (CBD), which is being built by China State Construction Engineering Corp (CSCEC) in the New Administrative Capital (NAC) east of Cairo, Egypt January 15, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo
Vehicles drive on a road next to the construction site of the Iconic Tower skyscraper in the Central Business District (CBD), which is being built by China State Construction Engineering Corp (CSCEC) in the New Administrative Capital (NAC) east of Cairo, Egypt January 15, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) said on Sunday it would act as the strategic advisor for Egypt's plans to boost the role of the private sector in the economy.

The IFC said it would advise on the government's "asset monetization program, which will focus on harnessing private capital and know-how to manage state-owned assets".

That will include structuring and preparing assets for sale, the IFC said in a statement.

Last year Egypt's government announced a state ownership policy designed to identify areas of the economy in which the private sector can play a bigger role.

Egypt has been struggling to manage an acute foreign currency shortage, attract new investment and contain a rising debt burden.

"We will have a five-year partnership with the World Bank's IFC to guarantee the governorship of the program in the long term," Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly said on Sunday in a televized conference with IFC Managing Director Makhtar Diop.



Morocco Receives 17.4 Million Tourists in 2024, Up 20% on 2023

FILE PHOTO: People walk outside the Cinema Museum of Ouarzazate, Morocco, October 23, 2024. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People walk outside the Cinema Museum of Ouarzazate, Morocco, October 23, 2024. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas/File Photo
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Morocco Receives 17.4 Million Tourists in 2024, Up 20% on 2023

FILE PHOTO: People walk outside the Cinema Museum of Ouarzazate, Morocco, October 23, 2024. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People walk outside the Cinema Museum of Ouarzazate, Morocco, October 23, 2024. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas/File Photo

Morocco received a record 17.4 million tourists in 2024, up 20% compared with previous year, with Moroccans living abroad accounting for nearly half the total, the tourism ministry said on Thursday.
Tourism accounts for about 7% of the North African country's gross domestic product and is a key source of jobs and foreign currency, Reuters reported.
The number of arrivals this year was two years ahead of target, the ministry said in a statement. It expects Morocco to receive 26 million tourists by 2030, when the country co-hosts the World Cup, together with Spain and Portugal.
Morocco has opened additional air routes to key tourist markets, while promoting new destinations within the country and encouraging the renovation of hotels.
From January to November, tourism revenue rose 7.2% to a record 104 billion dirhams, according to Morocco's foreign exchange regulator.