“Egypt is continuing efforts to improve its investment climate and attract more foreign direct investment (FDI), which reached around $18 billion in fiscal year 2025/2026,” Investment and Foreign Trade Minister Mohamed Farid Saleh said Thursday, October 22, 2026.
Speaking at a discussion session at Egypt Forum 2026, held under the theme “Toward Productive Investment, Competitive Industry and Sustainable Jobs,” Farid stressed the importance of supporting the private sector, boosting export-oriented production, localizing technology and enhancing the competitiveness of Egyptian industry.
He said domestic investors were Egypt’s best ambassadors, adding that the success and expansion of Egyptian companies strengthened confidence in the investment climate and helped attract further investment. “The government is continuing to streamline procedures, improve investor services and address obstacles facing productive activities,” he added.
The Ministry’s strategy focuses on directing incentives toward sectors capable of generating greater added value, deepening local manufacturing, localizing technology and increasing exports. It also aims to develop domestic supply chains to meet factories’ needs and improve the international competitiveness of Egyptian products.
Farid highlighted the need to balance the requirements of investors and exporters with the state’s available financial resources, ensuring that funding is directed toward productive activities offering the greatest economic returns. He reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to its international trade agreements and stressed that domestic policies and procedures must comply with applicable trade rules.
Regarding the geographic distribution of investment, the Minister said investment and free zones had stimulated economic activity and created hundreds of thousands of jobs, supporting development across governorates and providing employment opportunities close to population centers.
The Ministry plans to expand the investment-zone model across governorates, capitalize on local economic potential and strengthen the one-stop-shop system to simplify business establishment and expansion and reduce bureaucracy. Farid described digital transformation as a key pillar of government service development, noting that the ministry was upgrading the Entities platform to allow investors to track procedures and their progress electronically, identify bottlenecks and expedite applications without having to visit multiple government agencies.
The Ministry is also developing a digital platform connecting seven relevant entities to approve capital-increase minutes, with the aim of reducing the time and effort required to complete procedures and addressing delays in approvals and services that can take several months.
Government offerings and efforts to broaden company ownership are also important tools for attracting foreign investment and expanding private-sector participation in economic activity, Farid said, adding that these measures would support production, employment and more sustainable economic growth.
The Minister said the ministry was working to broaden the exporter base and help more companies and factories enter foreign markets. It had held meetings with around 13 export councils to identify sector-specific challenges and discuss proposals to increase exports.