Attracting FDI is not just about throwing incentives at investors

Attracting foreign direct investment is not just about maximizing incentives for investors, Mohamed Abdel Shafie Eissa writes for Al Shorouk. He argues that there are four ingredients in any bid to attract FDI: economic conditions, including the availability of labor and raw materials; the overall environment and ease of doing business; political alliances between countries; and investors’ current and previous experiences. Eissa says these factors must be shaped in our interest before the state resorts to handing out incentives such as tax breaks.