Eni to Invest $7.7 Bn in Egypt’s Energy Sector

An offshore gas platform of the Italian company Eni. (Getty Images)
An offshore gas platform of the Italian company Eni. (Getty Images)
TT

Eni to Invest $7.7 Bn in Egypt’s Energy Sector

An offshore gas platform of the Italian company Eni. (Getty Images)
An offshore gas platform of the Italian company Eni. (Getty Images)

Eni Energy Company President Claudio Descalzi said the Italian company and its partners intend to inject new investments into Egypt over the coming four years at a value of $7.7 billion.

The investment reflects the Italian energy company’s commitment to boosting its successful projects in Egypt.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received Descalzi during a meeting attended by Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El-Molla and senior Eni officials.

Descalzi underscored Egypt’s great importance as one of the significant markets for Eni’s activities and business worldwide, given the promising opportunities in its energy sector, noting the state and president’s interest in upgrading this vital sector and maximizing its revenues.

Descalzi reviewed the company’s upcoming search and exploration plans and development operations activities. He also highlighted the progress achieved in energy efficiency and sustainability projects related to the energy transition, in line with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in March 2023.

Presidency Spokesman Ahmad Fahmy said Sisi underscored the outstanding Egyptian-Italian relations and the longstanding partnership with Eni.

He praised the numerous activities the company has implemented in Egypt at the highest global standards.

He said he looks forward to further advancing the fruitful cooperation between Egypt and Eni in search, exploration, development, and production to leverage the national resources in the energy sector and enhance the vast successes.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly held a meeting to discuss procedures of the new incentive package for industrial investment ordered by Sisi.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Trade and Industry Ahmed Samir, Chairman of the General Authority for Industrial Development Mohamed Abdel Karim, and Executive Director of Industrial Modernization Center Doaa Salima.

The Minister of Trade explained that the new incentives to push industrial investment aim to achieve one or more goals that include deepening local manufacturing.

They are also devised to attract investments in production input industries, cover local needs for strategic goods, especially pharmaceuticals, shrink the trade balance deficit, reduce the demand for the dollar for import operations, expand exports, and increase employment rates.



IMF Approves Third Review of Sri Lanka's $2.9 Bln Bailout

Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage
Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage
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IMF Approves Third Review of Sri Lanka's $2.9 Bln Bailout

Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage
Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved the third review of Sri Lanka's $2.9 billion bailout on Saturday but warned that the economy remains vulnerable.
In a statement, the global lender said it would release about $333 million, bringing total funding to around $1.3 billion, to the crisis-hit South Asian nation. It said signs of an economic recovery were emerging, Reuters reported.
In a note of caution, it said "the critical next steps are to complete the commercial debt restructuring, finalize bilateral agreements with official creditors along the lines of the accord with the Official Creditor Committee and implement the terms of the other agreements. This will help restore Sri Lanka's debt sustainability."
Cash-strapped Sri Lanka plunged into its worst financial crisis in more than seven decades in 2022 with a severe dollar shortage sending inflation soaring to 70%, its currency to record lows and its economy contracting by 7.3% during the worst of the fallout and by 2.3% last year.
"Maintaining macroeconomic stability and restoring debt sustainability are key to securing Sri Lanka's prosperity and require persevering with responsible fiscal policy," the IMF said.
The IMF bailout secured in March last year helped stabilize economic conditions. The rupee has risen 11.3% in recent months and inflation disappeared, with prices falling 0.8% last month.
The island nation's economy is expected to grow 4.4% this year, the first increase in three years, according to the World Bank.
However, Sri Lanka still needs to complete a $12.5 billion debt restructuring with bondholders, which President Anura Kumara Dissanayake aims to finalize in December.
Sri Lanka will enter into individual agreements with bilateral creditors including Japan, China and India needed to complete a $10 billion debt restructuring, Dissanayake said.
He won the presidency in September, and his leftist coalition won a record 159 seats in the 225-member parliament in a general election last week.