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.



OPEC+ Doing ‘Noble’ Job of Balancing Oil Market, Says UAE Energy Minister

United Arab Emirates Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei, speaks to reporters, on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit, in Dubai, UAE, February 12, 2024. (Reuters)
United Arab Emirates Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei, speaks to reporters, on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit, in Dubai, UAE, February 12, 2024. (Reuters)
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OPEC+ Doing ‘Noble’ Job of Balancing Oil Market, Says UAE Energy Minister

United Arab Emirates Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei, speaks to reporters, on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit, in Dubai, UAE, February 12, 2024. (Reuters)
United Arab Emirates Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei, speaks to reporters, on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit, in Dubai, UAE, February 12, 2024. (Reuters)

United Arab Emirates Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said on Wednesday OPEC+ was doing a noble job of balancing the oil market even if does not produce the majority of oil in the world.

"OPEC+ has sacrificed more than others but the critical element is that it is staying together," Mazrouei said at an industry event in the emirate of Fujairah.

"I would like you to imagine the world without this group. We would be in chaos," Mazrouei said speaking hours before a planned virtual meeting of an OPEC+ committee.

Output from OPEC+, which groups the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies such as Russia, equates to 48% of world oil supply, according to Reuters calculations based on figures from the International Energy Agency.

Oil prices jumped by over a dollar on Wednesday due to rising concerns Middle East tensions could escalate. Brent crude stood at $74.56 a barrel at 0330 GMT.