Is the World Bank telling us to get a sovereign wealth fund of our own?

Is the World Bank telling us to get a sovereign wealth fund of our own? World Bank Group Senior Vice President Mahmoud Mohieldin reportedly suggested that it “was imperative” for Egypt to benefit from the revenues of the Zohr gasfield by establishing a sovereign wealth fund, Al Ahram reports. Mohieldin’s comments came at an AmCham talk held yesterday. Last we heard on the Ismail cabinet’s plans to form such a fund was in November of last year, with the economic group approving the drafting of a law to establish a EGP 5 bn sovereign fund dubbed Amlak. Ashraf Al Araby, the planning minister at the time, had even narrowed down the sectors the fund would be investing in, including industry, agriculture, mining, and tourism. Al Araby had been the sole voice behind the move, and we haven’t heard peep about it since he was replaced in the last cabinet shuffle.