Hassan Abdalla, Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt, met with Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to discuss the progress of Egypt’s economic reform programme and the country’s latest macroeconomic indicators. The forum was organised by the UAE Ministry of Finance in collaboration with the AMF and the IMF as part of the 2026 World Governments Summit. Participants included Mohamed bin Hadi Al Hussaini, UAE Minister of State for Financial Affairs, as well as several Arab central bank governors, finance ministers, and representatives from regional and international financial institutions. The event aimed to review a decade of Arab fiscal dialogue and establish priorities for the coming period. Key areas of focus included fiscal reform, development finance, public spending efficiency, and the integration of digital transformation and advanced technologies in the management of financial institutions.

Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam met officials from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on Wednesday to discuss strengthening cooperation on water and sustainable infrastructure projects, the ministry said. According to the statement, discussions reviewed ongoing cooperation, including the rehabilitation of the Kitchener Drain, as well as projects under preparation, notably the upgrading of pumping stations across Egypt and the rehabilitation of the Rasheed coastal wall. Sewilam highlighted progress under the Kitchener Drain water quality improvement project, noting that required environmental studies have been completed, while dredging, weed removal and embankment rehabilitation works are currently underway. The ministry said several bridges along the drain have already been replaced or renovated, with further works in progress. In parallel, equipment is being procured to measure water flows and monitor water quality, with additional technical studies being conducted in coordination with the EBRD.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) plans to invest around $1.2bn in Egypt during the current fiscal year 2026, up from $915m in the previous fiscal year, according to Cheick Oumar Sylla, IFC Director for North Africa and the Horn of Africa. He explained that IFC’s current investments in Egypt are distributed across several key sectors aligned with sustainable growth objectives. Infrastructure, renewable energy, and transport projects follow, collectively representing 32% of total investments and supporting Egypt’s long-term development needs. In addition to direct investments, the IFC provides advisory services valued at $27m to support strategic priority areas in Egypt. Green building initiatives make up 4% of advisory services, while programmes supporting gender equality account for 2%, highlighting the institution’s focus on inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar met a delegation of Swedish healthcare company representatives, led by Sweden’s Minister for Health Elisabeth Laan, to explore ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation and expand healthcare and investment partnerships, the health ministry said. The meeting, held at the ministry’s headquarters in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital, underscored the depth of strategic relations between the two countries. Abdel Ghaffar expressed Egypt’s ambition to deepen collaboration with Sweden through technology transfer and the exchange of expertise to improve the quality of healthcare services. In addition, the two sides discussed cooperation opportunities in digital health, including unified electronic medical records, telemedicine solutions, AI-driven clinical decision-support tools, and frameworks for health data governance, security and sustainability. Senior officials from the Egyptian Drug Authority, the Unified Procurement Authority and the health ministry attended the meeting, according to the statement.

The Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) held a coordination meeting with the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) to discuss mechanisms for strengthening cooperation to raise financial inclusion levels and expand access to financial services, as well as to advance programmes supporting small businesses and the economic empowerment of women. Participants also reviewed strategies to advance financial inclusion by integrating financially excluded groups into the formal financial system, ensuring that financial services reach eligible beneficiaries efficiently and equitably. Women’s economic empowerment featured prominently, with discussions centred on facilitating women entrepreneurs’ access to finance and providing the technical and advisory support needed to establish and scale their businesses. The meeting further addressed financial awareness and education, highlighting the importance of strengthening efforts to raise awareness of financial rights and promote a culture of saving and safe investment. Representatives from the FRA and the CBE said the enhanced coordination aims to increase financial inclusion rates, broaden the base of beneficiaries, and strengthen financial awareness and literacy through data exchange, while safeguarding users’ rights, mitigating financial risks, and supporting Egypt’s vision of a digital and inclusive economy.

Rather, it signalled a deeper shift in how the United States is managing its relationships with its closest allies. While his warning to London remained largely political in tone, his message to Canada was unmistakably punitive. Within this framework, international relations are not measured by the depth of alliances but by immediate calculations of gain and loss. China, in Trump’s view, is not simply a rising economic competitor; it represents a structural threat to American dominance—across technological leadership, control of global supply chains, and even the rules governing international trade. The United States may extract short-term tactical concessions, but at the risk of undermining the trust that has sustained its alliances for decades.

The agreements cover projects in infrastructure, mining, as well as medical and development sectors, as part of broader efforts to strengthen economic cooperation between Egypt and African markets. Mohamed Atta Gad, Chairperson of MAG Group, said the company operates through an integrated economic model that combines mining, industry, logistics, trade, infrastructure, and food production. In the mining sector, Atta Gad said MAG Group signed an agreement with the Republic of Chad granting the company a concession to extract and develop economically valuable minerals. MAG Group said it has developed an integrated operating system covering land, sea, and air transport, supported by customs clearance, risk management, and cargo insurance services. MAG Group currently operates across Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Chad, several West African countries, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

Egyptian Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk announced on Tuesday that the ministry plans to issue two billion dollars in international bonds during the second half of the current 2025-2026 fiscal year. He added that favorable financing is available from long-term development partners on concessional terms, starting in the second half of this year. During the “Financial Technology Conference: The Road to Investment Inclusion,” Kouchouk said that this is part of the ministry’s plan to keep total issuances below four billion dollars annually, aiming to reduce the budget’s debt by approximately one to two billion dollars per year. The second half of the year will also see the issuance of retail bonds to citizens, broadening the investor base and diversifying the available instruments. Kouchouk added that private investment increased by 73 percent during 2025, explaining that the decline in inflation and the reduced risk level of Egyptian bonds issued abroad contributed to the increased demand.

In one small patch, nestled among the graves of Iranian soldiers killed by Israeli bombs last year, a handful of new graves marks security officers killed during the demonstrations. Relatives hum around the graves, many of them women clad in the black ankle-length chadors favored by Iranian conservatives. On some, a photo of a young man or smiling young woman looks out at the nearby carpet of gravestones. Rectangular slabs of stone mark graves in the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran, on January 29, 2026. Flowers and petals are laid on graves in the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, on January 29, 2026.

A tragic incident struck the village of Manshiyat al-Qanater in Giza on Wednesday after a woman and her two children died in a massive fire that engulfed their apartment. The Giza Civil Defense operations room received a report of a fire in a residential building within Manshiyat al-Qanater district. After extinguishing the fire, rescue teams discovered the bodies of the mother and her two young children, who had died from smoke inhalation and injuries sustained in the fire. The Public Prosecution in Giza ordered an investigation into the incident, assigning forensic experts to examine the fire site and determine its technical causes. It also authorized the burial of the bodies as soon as the forensic report is completed.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said that the State gives high priority to developing Upper Egypt governorates as part of Egypt Vision 2030, with the aim of achieving balanced growth and improving living standards across the country. These remarks came during a meeting to review the executive status of projects of the Upper Egypt Development Authority, attended by Local Development Minister and acting Environment Minister Manal Awad and the authority’s head Amr Abdel Moneim. During the talks, they reviewed completed projects delivered to ministries and governorates, cooperation with investors and government entities, and steps to promote investment opportunities through the authority’s new website. The authority also presented its newly prepared strategy, developed in coordination with the Institute of National Planning (INP), which focuses on supporting economic activity in Upper Egypt, encouraging private-sector participation, creating job opportunities, supporting small industries and handicrafts, and improving governance and financial sustainability. The strategy also targets support for the most needy areas and financial sustainability through diversified funding, alongside a pipeline of current and planned projects to support small industries, crafts, and export opportunities.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty discussed during his meeting on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, with Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mohieldin Salem on ways to support efforts aimed at reaching a comprehensive settlement to the Sudanese crisis. He reiterated Egypt’s condemnation of the grave atrocities and violations witnessed in El Fasher and Kordofan, stressing Egypt’s full solidarity with the brotherly Sudanese people amid the severe challenges they are facing. He stressed the need for concerted regional and international efforts to support a comprehensive ceasefire and create conditions conducive to launching an inclusive political process that meets the aspirations of the Sudanese people for security, stability and development. He also underscored the importance of enhancing coordination and integration among existing regional and international tracks to resolve the Sudanese crisis, in order to achieve greater effectiveness and coherence. For his part, Salem expressed appreciation for Egypt’s supportive role toward Sudan and its people, commending Egypt’s political and humanitarian efforts, as well as its intensive relief and medical assistance to the Sudanese people.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly held a meeting on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at the government headquarters in the New Administrative Capital to review the framework of the initiative to involve the private sector in the implementation of social housing units. The meeting was attended by Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities Sherif Sharabiny, CEO of the Social Housing Fund and Mortgage Finance Support Mai Abdel Hamid, and Deputy Chairman of the New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA) for Planning and Projects Ahmed Ibrahim. He explained that the new initiative aims to further involve the private sector in delivering social housing, supporting the sustainable provision of adequate housing, and strengthening private sector participation in diverse housing projects within the real estate market. He referred to an agreement with the World Bank and the Social Housing Fund, under which the private sector is expected to deliver approximately 10,000 units. Abdel Hamid outlined the initiative’s key criteria, saying that priority will be given to companies with previous experience in the national housing project, strong financial capacity, and the ability to offer the lowest social housing unit prices.

CAIRO, Feb. 4 (MENA) – President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will receive Wednesday Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The two presidents are scheduled to hold an official session of talks, after which they will co-chair the second meeting of the Egypt–Turkey High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, according to Presidential Spokesman Mohamed el-Shennawy. They will also take part in the closing session of the Egyptian-Turkish Business Forum, which is set to be held later in the day, with broad participation from the business community and financial and economic institutions in both countries, the spokesman said.

Special preparations are underway for operating the Cairo Metro during Ramadan, including extending operating hours on all lines and adding extra trains, an informed source told Al-Masry Al-Youm on Tuesday. Operating hours will be extended by one hour daily on all three metro lines to facilitate travel for citizens during the holy month, the source explained. They added that additional trains will be deployed on all lines, especially during peak hours before Iftar time to accommodate the increased passenger traffic and facilitate passenger movement. The source noted that Ramadan operating plan aims to reduce the headway between trains and ensure smooth service within stations, with continuous monitoring throughout the day to address any emergencies or overcrowding immediately. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm