EXCLUSIVE- Gov’t plans to scrap automotive directive, looks to replace it with special economic zones: The Madbouly Cabinet has decided to scrap the automotive directive — the long awaited government strategy to grow the domestic auto industry by granting local assemblers incentives to move further up the value chain to manufacturing.
Background: The Automotive Directive had been in the works for over three years now thanks to wrangling in the House of Representatives and opposition by auto importers. The package of incentives was designed to allow local assemblers, who industry backers argue support tens of thousands of skilled direct and indirect jobs, to better compete with European Union, Moroccan and Turkish imports that receive customs breaks here in Egypt. That strategy has been sharply opposed by our EU trade partners — particularly Germany, whose chancellor, Angela Merkel, is said to have addressed the issue directly with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.
The alternative? The government is looking to replace the automotive directive with a policy of setting up special auto industry freezones that would offer a range of as-yet unspecified tax and customs breaks to assemblers, a senior government source with direct knowledge of the move told Enterprise. Among the incentives would tax and customs exemptions for capital goods imported for local assembly, the source said. Our source noted that the ministries of trade and industry, finance, and investment are currently working on studies that would back the new policy, but did not say when the proposal might be officially unveiled. The policy will likely emulate others adopted by regional players including Morocco and South Africa.
Higher local content requirements part of the proposal? Manufacturers looking to join the proposed program would be required to source 60% of their components here at home, the source said. That’s a significantly higher rate than the 46% domestic component requirement mandated by former Trade and Industry Minister Tarek Kabil in April to push forward the transition towards the automotive directive.
The source noted that the government plans to pitch the new policy to foreign auto companies that sell cars here in the hope of spurring foreign direct investment in the sector. A number of auto companies are on record as saying they were awaiting the automotive directive before committing to new assembly lines. These include Toyota and China’s GAC Motor. Others including Fiat and Volkswagen were said to be exploring manufacturing opportunities in Egypt but were awaiting clarity from the government on its auto industry policy.
This significant change in direction by the government comes as Egypt has 154 days before 1 January — that’s when customs on EU manufactured cars fall to zero, a prospect that could see top assemblers close down assembly lines.
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IPO WATCH- Misr Life Insurance plans to list on the EGX in 1Q2019: It looks like state owned Misr Life Insurance could be part of the second wave of the state privatization program, according to remarks attributed to company chairman Ahmed Abdel Aziz. He said the company is working on plans that will see it complete a valuation study and hire advisors in time to offer 15-30% of the company’s sharesin 1Q2019. Misr Life Insurance’s EGM had recently voted to approve the IPO, he tells Amwal Al Ghad.
This brings the number of companies in the state privatization program to 24: Misr Life Insurance had not been named among the 23 companies slated to be part of the state privatization program when the list was announced back in March. Its parent company, Misr Insurance Holding, is on the list and its general assembly former voted in favor of listing both companies back in May in a move sanctioned by then-Public Enterprises Minister Khaled Badawy.
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Egypt is expected to receive the fifth tranche of its USD 12 bn extended fund facility from the IMF in early 2019, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait told Al Mal yesterday. An IMF delegation is scheduled to visit in November to conduct a fourth review of the economic reform agenda ahead of disbursing the tranche. Egypt received the fourth USD 2 bn loan tranche earlier this month after passing the third review with flying colors and to much praise from the IMF’s executive board. The board had said that reform has helped accelerate growth and curb inflation and unemployment levels, but warned that more fiscal tightening was in order, particularly as the government continues to phase out fuel and power subsidies.
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The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has already extended some EUR 600 mn of the USD 1.4 bn in financing it has earmarked for Egypt in 2018, Managing Director for the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Janet Heckman said yesterday. (We believe the newspaper in question is off on its choice of currency for the 1.4 bn figure, but it is indeed given in the story in USD and not EUR.) The EBRD has already disbursed EUR 600 mn in financing to Egypt in the first six months of 2018 to support major projects, according to Heckman. The EBRD has a current project portfolio of EUR 3.14 bn in 79 active portfolio projects, according to the bank’s website.
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Sarie-Eldin, PwC, Baker Mckenzie selected to advise cabinet on regulations governing EGP 200 bn sovereign wealth fund: The Madbouly Cabinet has entered into an agreement with a consortium of firms including Sarie-Eldin & Partners, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Baker McKenzie to advise on the establishment of the framework and governing structure of Egypt’s EGP 200 bn sovereign wealth fund, Planning Minister Hala El Saeed told Al Mal yesterday. The group, which should complete its work within the next few weeks, is expected to help set the ground rules that will govern investment choices as well decisions such as capital increases and the establishment of sub-funds, to name a few. Finance Minister Mohamed Maait had previously said that the fund’s board of directors would be selected “within days.” The House of Representatives had signed off on legislation establishing the fund earlier this month, giving it complete financial independence and relieving it from paying taxes on transactions with subsidiaries and affiliates, in addition to clarifying what the state would consider an under-utilized asset.
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NUCA, OHC resolve another outstanding real estate dispute: The New and Urban Communities Authority (NUCA) reportedly reached an agreement with Orascom Housing Communities (OHC) to settle their dispute over 350 feddans belonging to the Ashgar City project in 6 October, company sources tells Al Shorouk. OHC will be allowed to complete construction work on the residential development in partnership with Faisal Islamic Bank, in exchange for a levy that will be determined by a NUCA committee, they add. The Madbouly Cabinet had recently signed off on a settlement agreement between NUCA and OHC over disputed development of 1,380 feddans in the Haram City affordable housing project. OHC is majority owned by Orascom Development Holding Chairman Samih Sawiris.
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El Sisi declares 2019 the “Year of Education”: 2019 will be Egypt’s “year of education,” President Abdel Fattah El Sisi declared during the second day of this month’s youth conference at Cairo University. Human development is a key pillar of the government’s vision, the president said, so his administration’s human development strategy will not only focus on education, but will include health, culture and sports policies, El Sisi said during his speech. His remarks come a day after Education Minister Tarek Shawki presented details on Egypt’s new K-12 education reform plan, which will aims to end rote memorization, expand the use of foreign languages and technology, and develop a GPA system not fully weighted to final exams. El Sisi announced a number of other decisions at the conference including:
- Allocating 20% of all government scholarship funding for those studying to become teachers;
- Establishing a government center to educate future teachers;
- Establishing government-funded incubators to help develop startups;
- Tasking the Madbouly Cabinet with developing a comprehensive higher education research program.
This comes as Egypt is planning to build 100 new Japanese-curriculum schools in the next four years, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said at the conference, Youm7 reports. The government also plans to develop 112 already-established schools to implement the Japanese curriculum over the same time period, Madbouly said.
El Sisi also took the time to discuss his administration’s economic reform drive, telling participants at the conference that they will need to be patient before seeing results and underscoring that there was no other path for the administration to take. He defended reforms during the Q&A portion of the conference, according to Al Mal.
International media coverage of the event was almost exclusively focused on his comments regarding social media backlash prompted by the austerity measures. El Sisi had noted his dismay at a trending Twitter hashtag calling for his exit from office; that was about the only coverage the foreign press noted about the education-focused event. The press also picked up on the president’s joking dismissal of the social media craze over the “Kiki dance” challenge.
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ENR boss sacked after train derailed, injuring six: Transport Minister Hisham Arafat sacked Egypt National Railways (ENR) Chairman Sayed Salem after six people were injured when a train derailed on the Cairo-Aswan line yesterday, the Associated Press reports. The victims, who are said to be suffering from “minor wounds,” were transported to the Kom Ombo Central Hospital, according to the State Information Service. Arafat has ordered a fact-finding committee to investigate the incident, the second of its kind this month. The derailment of a train in Giza two weeks ago left 58 people injured, with preliminary findings suggesting that a lack of maintenance on the track was responsible. The Transport Ministry has been working on upgrading Egypt’s railway infrastructure since last summer, when two passenger trains collided killing more than 40 people. Ashraf Raslan was appointed as interim head of the ENR in the meantime.
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AROUND THE WORLD- Tensions flare between US and Turkey over US pastor’s imprisonment: Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that Ankara would “stand its ground” in the face of US sanctions that President Donald Trump threatened to slap the country with over the imprisonment of US Pastor Andrew Brunson. Bronson is being accused of “helping the group Ankara says was behind a failed military coup in 2016,” Reuters reports. The pastor, who has denied the charges, faces up to 35 years in prison and is currently under house arrest.
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