Good morning folks, and happy Friday. Read on for this week’s highlight reel, as well as all the recommendations you need to start your weekend off with a bang.
Giving up on your new year’s resolution already? Not on our watch. This week’s guide is a showcase of all the gyms that can help you reach your goals, and nearby sportswear brands you can do that in.
Enterprise Weekend comes out each Friday at 9am CLT. We’ll be back on Sunday at 6am with EnterpriseAM Egypt. Until then: Enjoy the weekend.
LAST WEEK IN 3 MINS-
ECONOMY-
Gov’t readies new social protection package: The Madbouly government’s new social protection package that Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly teased at last week’s presser will contain increases in the minimum wage, tax thresholds, social protection coverage, and pensions, two government sources told EnterpriseAM. The package is expected to be approved by March or after receiving directives from the presidency, our sources said. The minimum wage hike has not yet been decided on, with our sources anticipating the government to raise the minimum wage by EGP 1k to EGP 7k, with adjustments for other income brackets. The Finance Ministry is looking into raising the personal income tax exemption threshold to EGP 65k — up from EGP 60k previously — while keeping other income brackets unchanged, our sources said.
INVESTMENT-
#1- Organi Group is eyeing USD 1 bn in automotive and tourism investments over the next five years, CEO Essam Organi said on Wednesday, with the big-ticket investment figure to be split evenly between the two sectors. The tourism sector’s allotted USD 500 mn will go towards adding 20k rooms to the group’s hotel portfolio, which currently stands at 4k rooms across 11 hotels in Egypt.
Organi’s comments came during the inauguration Auto Mobility’s new USD 100 mnassemblyplant for Chinese automaker Geely-branded vehicles, which was attended by much of the cabinet economic team.
#2- Spain’s Konecta announced USD 100 mn worth of Egypt expansion plans: Madrid-based business process outsourcing (BPO) firm Konecta announced this week that it would set up a regional HQ and invest USD 100 mn in Egypt over the coming three years under an MoU inked with the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA).
M&A-
#1- Arla Foods’ deadline for submitting a purchase offer for Domty was extended by 60working days starting 9 January, after the Financial Regulatory Authority greenlit Arla’s request. Denmark-based Arla said last October that it wants to acquire up to 100% of local cheesemaker Domty’s shares for an estimated EGP 8.9 bn, with plans to delist the company from the EGX post-acquisition.
#2- Raseedi acquired Kashat: Fintech startup Raseediacquired nano-credit outfit Kashat — as well as its subsidiary, nano-financial services provider Pharos Microfinance — for an undisclosed sum, in what the firm described as “an equity deal to broaden its product offerings and introduce instant loans” to its portfolio.
LEGISLATION-
#1- The House greenlit the government’s cash-based subsidy law: The House of Representatives gave the final sign-off to a government-drafted law that directs cash-5 based subsidies to citizens who fall below the poverty line and lack access to social ins. initiatives. The law stipulates forming the Takaful and Karama fund to distribute these payments.
MPs also approved a government-drafted bill to delay the tax on agricultural land by a year, effective 31 July 2024. The postponement aims to ease financial pressures on farmers and boost production.
#2- GAFI to draft a new Companies Act in line with changing investment climate: The General Authority for Investment and Freezones (GAFI) announced that it plans to prepare a revamped companies law to replace the Companies Act as part of efforts to keep up with developments in the investment arena and to provide a legislative framework that aligns with the increasing reliance on electronic documents. The authority is expected to put the draft legislation up for public consultation after Ramadan.
DEBT-
MAFI secured USD 180 mn for its agri-food industrial complex in Sadat City. The agro-industrial firm will receive USD 108 mn in long-term financing from a syndicate of local banks led by state-owned Banque Misr and including Suez Canal Bank and Al Baraka Bank, and USD 72 mn bridged by equity investments from regional investors. Beltone Investment Banking is MAFI’s sole financial advisor and lead financial coordinator for the agreement.
MOVES-
Hazem Helal (LinkedIn) was appointed CEO of O West, Makadi Heights, and Byoum by Orascom Development, the company announced in a statement on Wednesday. Helal steps into the role after serving as vice chairman of Al Ahly Sports Facilities Company, where he led the development of a new stadium and sports city.
AROUND THE WORLD IN SEVEN DAYS-

The biggest news by far this week was the long-awaited and much-welcome announcement that a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel had been reached. After 15 months of a brutal war and tens of thousands of Palestinians killed by Israel’s brutal assault on the enclave, Israel and Hamas agreed to an Egyptian, Qatari, and US mediated ceasefire on Wednesday, with the agreement set to come into effect on Sunday, 19 January.
According to the plan, the ceasefire will begin with a six-week first phase that will include a gradual Israeli troop withdrawal from central Gaza, allowing displaced Palestinians to return to northern areas. Hamas will release hostages over the course of the phase, with at least three released each week and all living hostages freed before the return of remains. Next, the two parties will move on to the yet-to-be-finalized second and third phases of the agreement, which will focus on securing a permanent truce and full Israeli withdrawal in the second phase and facilitating Gaza’s reconstruction in the third phase.
However, questions about whether the ceasefire would actually take effect began to crop up Thursday, as Israeli strikes continued to pound Gaza into the afternoon. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long played the role of spoiler in ceasefire negotiations, began the day claiming that Hamas had gone back on several key tenets of the agreement, with the PM threatening to put off convening Israel’s cabinet until Hamas had “accepted all elements of the agreement.”. Netenyahu’s office later announced that the cabinet will meet today to give final approval to the ceasefire and hostages release agreement. Netanyahu remains under pressure from two of his coalition parties to scuttle the agreement, with several lawmakers threatening to resign if the ceasefire goes through.
Elsewhere in the world, South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested by security forces after over a month of tense political uncertainty in the nation following Yoon’s brief declaration of martial law in early December. US president Joe Biden, meanwhile, bid farewell to the White House in an Oval Office speech Wednesday, where he warned of an emerging tech-industrial complex that has brought an “avalanche of misinformation and disinformation, enabling the abuse of power.”
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☀️ THE WEATHER THIS WEEKEND-
Expect a high of 21°C and low of 12°C in the capital today, and similar temperatures tomorrow with a high of 22°C and low of 11°C, according to our favorite weather app.
HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND-
Treat your ears to some Egyptian folk music: Sohba Semsemia brings you a vibrant singing and dancing show featuring traditional simsimiyya and tanbura music. Catch their performances at Rawabet Art Space until Saturday, 1 February. Tickets are available on Ticketsmarche.
Tour the land of the stars with Qahraweya. Join their Cosmos Cinema tour on today where you’ll tour the world of Egyptian cinema through the ages to get a glimpse behind the curtain at the magic and mastery of filmmaking in Egypt’s golden age and beyond. Details on how to reserve your spot can be found on their Facebook page.
..Or join the Nouma x Lamba Art tour by Qahraweya. Tomorrow, the tour will take you on a journey through the contemporary art scene of El Mounira and Garden City. To reserve your spot, message their page.
HAPPENING NEXT WEEKEND-
It’s time for the country’s largest book fair. The Cairo International Book Fair is back for its 56th edition starting Thursday, 23 January and continuing till Wednesday, 5 February. The event will take place at the Egypt International Exhibition and Convention Center in New Cairo, and will host guests of honor that include the Sultanate of Oman, scientists and artist Ahmed Mostageer, and author Fatma Elmadoul.
This one is for the curious: Don’t miss out on Dangerous Experiment at Teatro Al Assema, an eye-opening, hour-long lecture by Dr. Khaled Ghattass where he delves into topics like relationships, life choices, and societal challenges — with a 20-minute Q&A session at the end. The lecture will take place on Friday, 24 January. Get your tickets on Ticketsmarche.


