Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met on Monday with OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann in Cairo to discuss strengthening economic cooperation and Egypt’s reform programme. The talks focused on boosting private sector participation and attracting investment. Cormann praised Egypt’s role in regional stability.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann in Cairo on Monday to strengthen economic cooperation. Al-Sisi expressed appreciation for ongoing OECD collaboration, particularly through the country programme launched in 2021. He stressed expanding partnership in investment, competitiveness, and governance to support Egypt’s economic and institutional reforms.
Al-Sisi highlighted efforts to enhance the private sector’s role via improved regulatory frameworks, alongside social protection priorities. These include housing for 350,000 families with over 300,000 units, healthcare programmes, and the “Decent Life” initiative targeting over 50 million citizens. He noted a $10bn drop in Suez Canal revenues due to Red Sea disruptions linked to the Gaza conflict, and Egypt hosting around 10 million displaced foreign nationals.
At related events, Planning Minister Ahmed Rostom announced 5.3% economic growth in the first half of the current fiscal year, up from 2.4% in FY 2023/24 and 4.4% in FY 2024/25. SCZone Chairperson Walid Gamal El-Din told Cormann investments reached $7.1bn this fiscal year, up from $4.4bn previously, with $16bn total from 28 countries over three years and nine months.
Cormann praised Egypt’s economic resilience amid global challenges and affirmed OECD’s interest in deepening ties via the country programme, comprising 35 projects with 20 Egyptian entities. His visit included a tour of Sokhna Port and the Air Liquide plant, focusing on port policies, tax systems, and infrastructure governance.
