Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Today, the government’s got a few more things it can tick off the to-do list for the fiscal year, with a plan now set in motion to reenter the global debt market and a ten-digit investment boost to efforts to expand the country’s service export industry.

BUT FIRST- A shout-out to our friends at Khufu’s, who came in ranked number four in this year’s 50 Best Restaurants in MENA, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna. Khufu’s is the only non-Dubai restaurant in the top five. We’ll have the full rundown for you in this afternoon’s edition of EnterprisePM, or you can check out the ranking here and see if your favourite made the list.

PSA-

Beware of text messages from scammers pretending to be Egypt Post, Egypt Post warned in a statement. The national postal service will never ask you to click a link to provide additional data or to pay for shopping or other fees via phone or text, Egypt Post clarified.

WEATHER- The sun is out in Cairo today, with a high of 21°C and a low of 12°C, according to our favorite weather app.

Over in an overcast Alexandria, there’s a chance of light rain, with a high of 21°C and a low of 11°C.

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WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- The Higher Education Ministry has stepped in to make sure Trump’s foreign aidfreeze doesn’t push Egyptians on USAID-funded scholarships out of universities, with the ministry saying that the 877 students at Egyptian universities will be covered by their universities under the same arrangement — and beyond this if needs be. The ministry has also asked the American University in Cairo to do the same for its 200 students on USAID scholarships.

There’s also USAID-funded students abroad at US universities left in a lurch, but ministry spokesperson Adel Abdel Ghaffar took to the airwaves to reassure concerned parents that “we also have a small number of master’s students in US universities—no more than seven—who will be closely supported” (watch, runtime: 7:12).

Ghaffar denied rumors that AUC had expelled scholarship students from their student lodgings, instead highlighting the university’s “complete commitment” to continuing the scholarships for its students. “Each university has committed to bearing the full cost of these scholarships, ensuring that no student’s education or housing is disrupted,” he said.

#2- Turkish companies are expected to invest at least USD 300 mn in Egypt in 2025, Turkey’s Ambassador to Egypt Salih Mutlu Şen told Asharq Business. Şen reportedly said to Turkish exporters in Egypt at an event yesterday that Turkish clothing firm Eroglu Holding plans to invest additional USD 120 mn in the Qantara West Industrial Zone. Trade exchange between the two countries could also reach USD 10 bn in 2025, up from USD 8.8 bn last year, he added.

#3- The six newly formed private sector advisory committees held their first meeting with Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly yesterday, which the PM marked as the beginning of a “new state concerned with strengthening the partnership between the government and the private sector,” according to a cabinet statement. The meeting focused on discussing the framework of each committee, with members set to meet separately to discuss policy proposals before the at least monthly meeting with Madbouly and the relevant ministers.

** We put together a rundown of the committees and their members after the news broke last week. Read the story here.

CAPITAL MARKETS-

Ezz Steel will voluntarily delist shares from EGX and LSE, with the company’s extraordinary general assembly approving a fair value of EGP 138.15 per share, as determined by BDO Keys for Financial Consultancy, according to an LSE disclosure. Shareholders objecting to the delisting or unwilling to remain will have their shares purchased at the set fair value.

HAPPENING TODAY-

It’s day one of Business Ya Shabab, an SME and youth-focussed trade exhibition that will host 150 exhibitors showcasing traditional crafts, handmade products, and startup innovations. The exhibition will run from today until 8 February at Cairo Stadium.

HAPPENING NEXT WEEK-

The National Dialogue will hold an emergency session on Saturday following Trump’s calls to “clean out” Gaza. “These statements have found no support in the world except from the far-right and Israeli settler extremists. They represent a blatant and humiliating challenge to the entire world,” the group’s board of trustees said.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

Another day, another erratic move from US President Donald Trump is taking up the global press’ attention.

Trump attempted to freeze hundreds of bns of USD in federal aid — spanning anti-poverty initiatives and Medicaid to thousands of institutions reliant on federal loans — in order to make sure federal agencies align with his Make America Great Again agenda, before the decision was blocked seconds before it was set to take effect by a judge. The decision will now be deferred to a hearing on 3 February. The 24-hour chaos before the decision was blocked is getting attention everywhere: Reuters | Bloomberg | Financial Times | New York Times | AP | WSJ.

In business news, Trump said Microsoft is in talks to buy TikTok ahead of its impending ban in the US, Reuters reports. The tech giant was previously in talks to acquire a US unit of TikTok that would be separate from its Chinese parent ByteDance in 2020 before talks collapsed.

ALSO- US tech shares recovered some of their losses after the DeepSeek selloff a day earlier, with AI chip giant Nvidia gaining 8.9%. (Reuters | FT)

*** It’s Hardhat day — your weekly briefing of all things infrastructure in Egypt: Enterprise’s industry vertical focuses each Wednesday on infrastructure, covering everything from energy, water, transportation, and urban development, as well as social infrastructure such as health and education.

In today’s issue: We look at government plans to establish a new independent authority that would be responsible for managing, operating, and realizing Downtown Cairo’s potential following its restoration.

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