Saudi Arabia has announced providing an e-visa service for Egyptians. The Saudi Foreign Ministry launched a new initiative to cancel the visa sticker on the holder’s passport, switching to e-visa. The Saudi Foreign Ministry launched the service in January, which allows for issuing a transit visa for tourists coming by air electronically. It aims to encourage travel to Saudi Arabia for any purposes and facilitate the procedures for obtaining an entry visa. The transit visa allows individuals to pass through Saudi Arabia and is applicable for short stays of over 12 hours.

The “Afroplast” exhibition presents the latest technologies, applications and industrial solutions that serve the business sectors in the field of plastics, rubber and non-woven industries. Ahmed Mostafa, director of the Afroplast exhibition, indicated that the exhibition is held at the Cairo International Exhibition and Convention Center. The company organizing the “Afroplast” exhibition will organize a promotional campaign aimed at attracting specialized visitors from Egypt and neighboring countries. The exhibition is held under the auspices of the Chamber of Chemical Industries, the Plastics Industry Division, the Export Council for Chemical and Fertilizer Industries, the Egyptian Exporters Association and the Industry Modernization Center. Khaled Abul-Makarem, head of the Export Council for Chemical Industries and Fertilizers, affirmed that the Egyptian industry is capable of reaching $100bn in annual exports.

According to the report, an improvement was observed in the average number of areas affected by the quality of voice services by 7% in the first quarter of 2023, to reach 41 affected areas, compared to 44 affected areas in the first quarter of 2022. An improvement in the average number of areas affected by the quality of data transmission services was observed by 31% in the first quarter of 2023, to reach 18 affected areas, compared to 26 affected areas in the first quarter of 2022. The National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has approved 823 new stations since the beginning of 2023, an increase of 5% compared to the same period in 2022. The NTRA has also implemented small coverage stations above the lighting poles in Greater Cairo to overcome coverage obstacles in places where it is not possible to establish stations, which contributes to improving the standards of quality of communication services and the ability to absorb the increasing volume of traffic in the Egyptian market. This came according to the results of the report of the National Center for Monitoring the Quality of Telecommunications Services of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority for the first quarter of 2023, from January to March 2023.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino and World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said that they are looking to expand their partnership and help the economic empowerment of women. “It is true that the FIFA Women’s World Cup represents the pinnacle of excellence in women’s football, but it is equally true that in the past, the women’s form of the game has not received the attention and prominence that it deserves,” Dr Okonjo-Iweala said. “Women in sport, as in every sphere of life, are entitled to the same rewards enjoyed by their male counterparts. Sadly, this has not been the case, and we’re really delighted at the effort that FIFA, under President Infantino, is making to change this narrative. “Imagine the potential that there is still outside of Europe, and the ‘Cotton Four’ initiative is part of unleashing that potential,” he said.

The National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has fined mobile service providers EGP 32m for exceeding mobile service quality standards during the first quarter of 2023, according to the service quality measurements report for the first quarter of this year. According to the report, an improvement was observed in the average number of areas affected by the quality of voice services by 7% in the first quarter of 2023, to reach 41 affected areas, compared to 44 affected areas in the first quarter of 2022. An improvement in the average number of areas affected by the quality of data transmission services was observed by 31% in the first quarter of 2023, to reach 18 affected areas, compared to 26 affected areas in the first quarter of 2022. The National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has approved 823 new stations since the beginning of 2023, an increase of 5% compared to the same period in 2022. This came according to the results of the report of the National Center for Monitoring the Quality of Telecommunications Services of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority for the first quarter of 2023, from January to March 2023.

Shokry said that the global real estate assets reached $4trn, of which 60% are owned and managed by real estate funds, noting that“whoever wants to create a strong real estate in Egypt must have funds, and unfortunately we do not have real estate funds in Egypt.”He added that MIPM exhibition in France, the largest real estate conference and exhibition in the world, is considered the first stop for those who want to put themselves on real estate export map because it represents the largest gathering of real estate funds in the world, as there is no strong real estate industry in a country without presence of property funds. Head of the Real Estate Export Council highlighted that the most important problems are property funds, and stressed the need to amend executive regulations. He disclosed,“There are 860 real estate funds worldwide, and we in Egypt do not own any fund, and therefore it is not possible to claim export property because real estate funds always deal with projects with fixed periodic returns, and there are specialised real estate funds at the global level in the last ten years in terms of health and education. The existence of real estate funds must be activated, the executive regulations must be amended and problems related to them must be overcome, and large financial institutions must be encouraged, in cooperation with banks in Egypt, to establish real estate funds as a first step to attract foreign real estate funds. There are real estate funds in more than 40 countries in the world, including African countries in Nigeria and South Africa.

CAIRO - 3 May 2023: Egypt is serious about implementing a flexible exchange rate system, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Jihad Azour, said Wednesday. “There is strong cooperation between the Fund's team and the Egyptian authorities, and the government is serious about this,” Azour added in his statements. Egypt has halved the value of the pound against the dollar since March 2022, and analysts expect another devaluation this year. Egypt recently established a "pre-IPO" fund, which aims to restructure some state-owned assets and prepare them for offering in the market. The Egyptian economy has been able to face major shocks,” according to Jihad Azour.

Heiba said that the government is interested in attracting new Japanese investments, for its distinguished role in sustainable development and transferring Japanese expertise and technology to the Egyptian market. He also pointed out that this year will witness a government focus on the Japanese market, as the Egyptian-Japanese Business Council will be held next August, and a promotional visit will be organized. Additionally, in September, the Japanese External Trade Organization (JETRO) will organize a visit by a Japanese businessmen delegation to Cairo to boost trade and investment between the two countries. The launch of the national strategy for developing the automotive industry in 2022 managed to attract several companies operating in the automotive components industry, the most important of which is the Japanese company Sumitomo, specialized in the automotive industry. For his part, John Karubi said that Toyota Tsusho is looking to achieve a renaissance in the auto industry in the African market.

A rare 2,800-year-old Egyptian mummy’s head brought to the UK by a British soldier during World War I is up for sale at an auction, the British Daily Mail newspaper reported. The head remained in the possession of the family of the soldier for a century, where it was kept under a glass dome for safekeeping. “It’s very rare to see an Egyptian mummy head from the ancient world at public auction, particularly a piece with such superb preservation,” Matthew Hull, who specializes in the Swan Fine Art auction, said. The head for sale was mummified during the Third Intermediate Period of ancient Egypt 1070-664 BC. While the Egyptian pharaohs were mummified and buried in elaborate tombs, members of the nobility and officials often received the same treatment.

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a message of thanks to all countries that contributed in evacuations carried out by Ankara, especially Egypt, Sudan and Saudi Arabia. The Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed that the evacuations which began on April 23 were completed, according to the Turkish News Agency. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that it had implemented some initiatives to resolve the issue on peaceful grounds, and mobilized diplomatic methods prevent further bloodshed. The ministry officially said in a statement that the total number of people returning from Sudan through Qastal land port reached 1,297. On the other hand those returning through the Arqeen land port reached 8,897.

Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population, Khalid Abdel Ghaffar; met on Monday evening with a delegation from the Omani Council of Medical Specializations, to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in the field of continuing professional medical education for medical personnel in Egypt and the Sultanate of Oman. The meeting was held at the new headquarters of the ministry’s office in the New Administrative Capital, eastern Cairo. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the Assistant Minister of Health and Population for Institutional Development Affairs and the official spokesperson for the ministry, explained that the meeting dealt with discussing expanding future horizons of cooperation between the Egyptian Health Council and the Omani Council for Medical Specialties. Mechanisms for granting the Egyptian fellowship certificate and the training provided to those enrolled in the program were discussed. Abdel Ghaffar added that the two sides discussed the quality and methodology of vocational training provided to doctors and its compatibility with the standards of medical training in the Sultanate of Oman.

Hossam Heiba, CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), met with John Karubi, head of the Japanese side of the Egyptian-Japanese Business Council, and head of Toyota Tsusho Automotive Industry. Heiba said that the government is interested in attracting new Japanese investments, for its distinguished role in sustainable development and transferring Japanese expertise and technology to the Egyptian market. He also pointed out that this year will witness a government focus on the Japanese market, as the Egyptian-Japanese Business Council will be held next August, and a promotional visit will be organized. He emphasized the Egyptian government’s openness to the proposals of the Egyptian-Japanese Business Council to improve the investment environment. For his part, John Karubi said that Toyota Tsusho is looking to achieve a renaissance in the auto industry in the African market.

The UAE’s National Paints acquired on Tuesday 81% of Egypt’s state-owned Paint and Chemicals Industries (Pachin), purchasing a total of 19.358 million of the company’s shares in a deal worth EGP 770.4m (about $25m). Among the sellers were the Chemical Holding Company, which is the main shareholder, Banque Misr and a number of other shareholders. Sources connected to the deal told “daily news” that the Emirati company is considering keeping Pachin listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange during the coming period. Eagle Chemicals and National Dyes competed for the company, and after several bids, the Emirati company offered the highest price, amounting to 39.8 pounds per share. The National Investment Bank, Pharos, will assume the role of the financial advisor to the “Pachin” company in the deal, and the Shalakany Office for Legal Consultations and Lawyers will act as the company’s legal advisor.

The contract was signed by Wael Mohamed El Khaleq, Chairperson and Managing Director of KCFMT, and Deputy Chairperson of Daesun Sung-Geun Lee. The Minister of Transport stated that this signature includes KCFMT cooperating with the DAESUN Shipbuilding to build 2 multi-purpose ships in accordance with the best international specifications in the shipbuilding industry. The capacity of the holds is 15,800 m3, a tonnage of 14,000 tonnes, a speed of 14 knots, a container load of 709 containers. On the timing of delivery of the two contracted ships, the minister explained that the first ship will be delivered in February 2025, and the second ship will be delivered in April 2025. The number of commercial ships in the National Navigation Company reached 13 ships (12 bulk ships – 1 container ship).

The meeting also discussed Egypt's hosting of the organization's technical support unit for the African initiative for adaptation, and ways to support it in the future. This came in the presence of Mohamed Hegazy, the Director of the Regional Office of the organisation in North Africa, and Soha Taher, the Head of the Central Administration for International Cooperation. Fouad and Mbassi also discussed cooperation in hosting the organization's regional headquarters in Egypt for the technical support unit for the African Adaptation Initiative. The minister stressed that Egypt, as a host country for the unit, is keen to provide all means of support to advance the initiative and cooperate to determine the required measures and quickly take institutional steps to agree on the action plan during the coming period. The meeting also discussed the possibility of bilateral cooperation in implementing the Regional Readiness Program, which the UCLG Africa is currently implementing as an implementing partner of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), in Morocco, and West and East Africa, to help local governments move together towards achieving the goal of confronting the effects of climate change and sharing efforts.