It was a mixed bag on the talk shows last night, with discussions centring on two main topics — an IMF report on Egypt’s loan program and US university student protests against Israeli aggression in Gaza.

Egypt’s financing gap of USD 28.5 bn until 2026 “is not a terrifying number,” economist Mohamed Fouad told Amr Adib on El Hekaya (watch, runtime: 22:08), in response to figures out by the IMF. The financing gap “can be remedied by increasing exports by about USD 5-7 bn annually, as well as increasing foreign direct investment to the country.”

“The biggest risk to Egypt maintaining its loan program is failing to adhere to a free exchange rate,” Fouad said, referring to the report’s findings. “As long as there is the ability to manage commercial operations without resorting to the parallel market and merchants are able to price their products for the next three or six months ... over time, people will become accustomed and confident in the official exchange rate,” Fouad added,

“Foreign direct investment will not come without transparency and competitiveness,”Fouad said, pointing to the Fund’s demand for the government to publish all procurement contracts with a value exceeding EGP 20 mn on an open and available website, publicizing any exemptions and benefits provided to state agencies, as well as the debts of government agencies to the public treasury every 90 days.

Guiding lines: The Fund puts forward about 15 points and general policy guidelines, but in the end they are non-binding targets and what is important is the results, Fouad explained, adding that “the Fund gives us a framework for governance, which is what we really need.”

AND OVER IN INTERNATIONAL NEWS- Palestine protests in the US captured the attention of the nation’s talking heads: Arrests at pro-Palestinian student protests in the US are “unprecedented,” said Lamees El Hadidi on Kelma Akhira (watch, runtime: 11:43). Columbia University President Nemat Shafik is currently facing increasing pressure to resign for not calling the police on the protesters.

“The White House is in a critical position,”Heba Al Qudsi, director of the Washington bureau of Al Sharq Al Awsat newspaper, told El Hadidi, when asked about the extent to which the pro-Palestine student protests have affected the American political decision. “On the one hand, it cannot condemn the protests from the standpoint of defending and promoting democratic values, and on the other hand, it cannot support the protests because it cannot anger Israel.” The impact on the Biden administration would be “disastrous” if the protests continued and spread outside of the universities.

ALSO ON THE AIRWAVES LAST NIGHT-

  • The universal healthcare ins. scheme got significant airtime. El Hadidi conducted a discussion about how the first phase of the universal healthcare ins. scheme has been going, the extent of citizens’ satisfaction with it, and the reasons for the weak private sector participation so far (watch, runtime: 42:36)
  • The latest commodity prices, especially in light of the calls for a boycott of some commodities, were scrutinized on Kelma Akhira (watch, runtime: 12:11), El Hekaya (watch, runtime: 3:42), and Alaa Masouleety (watch, runtime: 40:38).
  • Mohamed Salah’s altercation with coach Jurgen Klopp in the Liverpool-West Ham match yesterday also caught the attention of talk show hosts. El Hekaya (watch, runtime: 3:04), Kelma Akhira (watch, runtime: 7:00), and Alaa Masouleety (watch, runtime: 2:48) all had the story.
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