Egypt Announces Expected Turkish Investments in Several Sectors

 Handmade traditional souvenir clothes are displayed for sale in a popular tourist area in old Cairo, Egypt May 22, 2022. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
 Handmade traditional souvenir clothes are displayed for sale in a popular tourist area in old Cairo, Egypt May 22, 2022. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
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Egypt Announces Expected Turkish Investments in Several Sectors

 Handmade traditional souvenir clothes are displayed for sale in a popular tourist area in old Cairo, Egypt May 22, 2022. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
 Handmade traditional souvenir clothes are displayed for sale in a popular tourist area in old Cairo, Egypt May 22, 2022. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Egyptian Trade Minister Ahmed Samir said on Friday that the Turkish KOC Holding group intends to expand its activities in the Egyptian market in the coming period in the sectors of vehicles, medical products and new energy.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, published by the Egyptian Presidency of the Council of Ministers on its Facebook page, said that Samir, who is currently visiting Türkiye, met with representatives of the group to discuss its future vision to increase investments in the Egyptian market.

The statement quoted the minister as saying that the group seeks to expand in the Egyptian market through the establishment of a factory for auto-feeding industries, and another for pharmaceuticals, in addition to cooperation with the Suez Canal Economic Zone in the field of new and renewable energy and wind energy.

The group also aims to cooperate in the field of yacht marinas as well as oven manufacturing with the Arab Organization for Industrialization, according to the statement.

Representatives of the Turkish Holding Group pointed to the importance of benefiting from Egypt’s position as a commercial and investment hub in Africa, as well as taking advantage of the preferential free trade agreements that Cairo has signed with the countries of the continent.

Meanwhile, Egypt’s sovereign dollar bonds rose on Friday, after an unexpected decision to raise interest rates on Thursday evening.

Longer-dated maturities gained the most, with the 2048 rising by up to 1.4 cents, according to Tradeweb data. Bonds maturing 2040 and beyond gained one cent or more, but the shorter-dated maturities up until 2031 rose between 0.5-0.9 cents.

Egypt’s central bank raised overnight interest rates by 100 basis points on Thursday in a surprise move, saying it sought to contain inflationary pressures and anchor inflation expectations, Reuters reported.



Local Content in Saudi Government Projects Rises to 47% by Q3

Al-Falih said that local content policies are integral to the state’s strategy. (SPA)
Al-Falih said that local content policies are integral to the state’s strategy. (SPA)
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Local Content in Saudi Government Projects Rises to 47% by Q3

Al-Falih said that local content policies are integral to the state’s strategy. (SPA)
Al-Falih said that local content policies are integral to the state’s strategy. (SPA)

The proportion of local content in Saudi government projects has grown significantly, rising from 33% in 2020 to approximately 47% by the end of the third quarter of this year. This progress was announced by Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef during a ministerial session titled, Future Trends in Light of Vision 2030, at the second edition of the Local Content Forum 2024.

Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb emphasized that tourism is a cornerstone of Vision 2030, stating: “We aim to localize investment spending with the support of national institutions.”

He also outlined plans to increase the tourism sector’s contribution to the national economy from 3% in 2019 to 10%.

Al-Khateeb underscored the collaborative efforts underway with the private sector to develop the tourism industry.

For his part, Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih highlighted that local content policies have been integral to the state’s strategy since its founding. He stressed that enhancing the competitiveness of local companies plays a vital role in advancing localization efforts.

Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing Majed Al-Hogail stated that increasing local content is part of a long-term plan, noting that 70% of home construction technologies are now manufactured locally.

In turn, Economy and Planning Minister Faisal Al-Ibrahim explained that boosting local content helps drive economic growth. He emphasized that import substitution presents a valuable opportunity to support domestic products and balance trade.