Good afternoon, folks, and welcome to the start of a fresh new workweek. This one seems to have hit the ground running, giving us plenty of news to share.

THE BIG STORY TODAY

The state’s privatization push raised 48% of its USD 12.2 bn target for March 2022-July 2025, according to a government document seen by EnterpriseAM. During the period, the state sold stakes in 19 companies through direct stake sales and IPOs, raising some USD 5.9 bn.

But if you take into account the landmark Ras El Hekma agreement, we shot past the target with a completion rate of 245%, according to the document.

Work is underway to put the state’s privatisation efforts up a gear, with the government having appointed investment banks and legal advisors for ten companies as they prepare to offer up stakes to the private sector. These companies include Safi, Watanya, Silo Foods, Chill Out, Midor, and others.

Mark your calendar for the 2025 EnterpriseAM Egypt Forum, our flagship forum and part of our must-attend series of invitation-only, C-suite-level gatherings. Tap the image to register your interest to attend and here to visit the website and keep up to date on the agenda and speaker lineup. Want to partner with us? Reach out to Moustafa Taalab at mtaalab@enterprisemea.com to explore sponsorship opportunities.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD

No one story is dominating the headlines today, but still getting plenty of ink is the assassination of right-wing advocate Charlie Kirk, whose memorial is being planned for Sunday, 21 September. The suspected shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested after a 33-hour manhunt, and faces charges including aggravated murder. Robinson’s father helped lead to his arrest after recognizing him in surveillance images, and finding Discord messages providing additional evidence linking him to the crime and to a far-right political movement led by Nick Fuentes, who denies the connection. (CNN | WSJ)

Following confirmation that Russian drones entered Polish airspace last week, NATO has announced that it will deploy more jets to the alliance’s eastern flank and supply anti-drone training to the Polish army from Ukrainian operators who have experience defending against Russian attacks. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski believes that this was a deliberate test by the Kremlin to gauge NATO’s response without triggering full-scale conflict. While the drones were capable of carrying explosives, those that reached Poland were unarmed. (Guardian)

US President Donald Trump met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Friday following tensions caused by the Israeli strike on Doha on Tuesday, 9 September. The attack strained US-Qatar relations despite Qatar being home to the largest US military base in the region and having pledged USD 500 bn in US investments. Trump criticized the Israeli attack and assured Qatari leaders that such incidents wouldn’t recur. (Bloomberg)

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*** It’s Inside Industry day — your weekly briefing of all things industrial in Egypt. Inside Industry focuses each Sunday on what it takes to turn Egypt into a manufacturing and export powerhouse, ranging from initial investment and planning to product distribution, through to land allocation to industrial processes, supply chain management, labor, automation and technology, inputs and exports, regulation and policy.

☀️ TOMORROW’S WEATHER- The capital will be seeing slightly cooler days but warmer nights after a particularly hot weekend, with tomorrow’s temperature expected to hit 34°C at its peak before cooling to 24°C at night, according to our favorite weather app.

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