Egypt GDP Growth Forecast at 4% in 2024/25 Fiscal Year, IMF Official Says

A worker counts money at a petrol station in Cairo on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
A worker counts money at a petrol station in Cairo on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
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Egypt GDP Growth Forecast at 4% in 2024/25 Fiscal Year, IMF Official Says

A worker counts money at a petrol station in Cairo on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
A worker counts money at a petrol station in Cairo on July 26, 2024. (AFP)

Egypt's economic growth is forecast at 4% in the 2024/25 fiscal year and inflation is expected to fall below 15%, the International Monetary Fund's mission chief for the country said on Tuesday.

In comments to reporters, Ivanna Vladkova Hollar added that talks between the IMF and the Egyptian government about access to climate transition financing from the Fund's Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) would continue in the autumn.

In March, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the country would seek about $1.2 billion from the RSF.

Egypt can already draw $820 million from its latest 46-month IMF $8 billion loan program after the fund said on Monday it had completed its third review.

Approved in 2022 and expanded this year, the loan program followed an economic crisis marked by high inflation and severe foreign currency shortages.

Hollar said boosting tax revenue was a priority reform issue that would be discussed during the program's fourth review.

"Egypt needs tax resources to be able to spend on priority needs, that is a priority reform that we will be discussing at the time of the fourth review," she said.

Under the program, the outstanding reviews will take place every six months until autumn 2026, with each disbursement currently scheduled at about $1.3 billion, Hollar said in April.



China's Leaders Vow to Step Up Policy Support for Economy

FILE PHOTO: A person sits on a bench near Beijing's Central Business District (CBD), China July 14, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A person sits on a bench near Beijing's Central Business District (CBD), China July 14, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
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China's Leaders Vow to Step Up Policy Support for Economy

FILE PHOTO: A person sits on a bench near Beijing's Central Business District (CBD), China July 14, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A person sits on a bench near Beijing's Central Business District (CBD), China July 14, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo

China will step up policy support for the economy, focusing on boosting consumption to expand domestic demand, the Politburo, the top decision-making body of the ruling Communist Party, was quoted by state media as saying on Tuesday.
Currently, adverse effects stemming from changes in the external environment are increasing, domestic demand is insufficient, and the transition from old growth drivers to new ones remain painful, the Politburo said following a meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping.
"Macro policies should be strengthened persistently and become more forceful," the Politburo added, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
"We need to strengthen counter-cyclical adjustments, implement a proactive fiscal policy and a prudent monetary policy, accelerate the comprehensive implementation of established policy measures, reserve early and timely launch a batch of incremental policy measures,” Reuters quoted it as saying.
China will focus on boosting consumption to expand domestic demand, and the focus of economic policies will shift more towards benefiting people's livelihoods, the Politburo said.
Beijing will also strengthen the employment-prioritized policy and promote jobs for key groups including college graduates, and step up efforts to resolve issues such as food safety and social security, Xinhua said, citing the meeting.
The world's second-largest economy faces multiple challenges ranging from a prolonged property crisis to deflationary pressures as well as weak demand at home and increased hostility towards its export dominance abroad.
The economy grew much slower than expected in the second quarter, with the consumer sector a particular cause for concern amid job market woes and the protracted housing downturn.