{"id":618809,"date":"2024-04-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-21T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2024\/04\/21\/imf-wants-egypt-to-accelerate-pace-of-reform\/"},"modified":"2024-04-21T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-21T00:00:00","slug":"imf-wants-egypt-to-accelerate-pace-of-reform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2024\/04\/21\/imf-wants-egypt-to-accelerate-pace-of-reform\/","title":{"rendered":"IMF wants Egypt to accelerate pace of reform"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good morning, friends, and welcome to a holiday-shortened week<\/strong> as we prepare for the three-day weekend starting this Thursday in observance of Sinai Liberation Day. We have a busy issue for you this morning, so we\u2019re going to jump straight in.<\/p>\n

BUT FIRST- Could padel emerge as the \u201cnext squash\u201d? <\/strong>It may be early days, but it\u2019s hard not to wonder after the men\u2019s national team surprised organizers with a very strong first-ever appearance at the FIP Seniors World Padel Championships 2024<\/a>, which wrapped up yesterday in Alicante, Spain. <\/p>\n

Our friend Helmy Ghazi distinguished himself as more than a banker\u2019s banker this <\/strong>weekend<\/strong>, anchoring the +50 team. Longtime readers will also remember Helmy as our partner in crime in our most-read story ever: Our five-step recipe to boost exports + FDI (and make sure Egypt never has to ask the IMF for another cent<\/a>). <\/p>\n

Egypt finished in 20th place overall after a very tight 3-2 loss to Great Britain<\/strong> yesterday. <\/p>\n

Egypt was the first Arab country to appear in the Senior World Padel Championships<\/strong>, alongside Qatar. Egypt fielded men\u2019s teams in the +35, +40, +45, +50, and +55 age ranges after nationwide tryouts, and organizers tell us they hope to send both men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams to the championship in 2025. <\/p>\n

Surprising nobody who follows the sport:<\/strong> Argentina and Spain faced off in every single men\u2019s final \u2014 while Spain and France made it to the finals of every women\u2019s age bracket.<\/p>\n

The view from Alicante: <\/strong>\u201cWe were proud to step into the seniors padel World Cup \u2014 it\u2019s the beginning of a journey for our seniors team and was an amazing chance to show the world the spirit of Egyptian padel,\u201d Ahmed Ghatwary, president of the Egyptian and Arab Padel Federation, told us late yesterday.<\/p>\n

Egypt is a world squash powerhouse <\/strong>because of a strong grass-roots program and consistent corporate support for the sport. It would be wonderful to see another racquet sport mentioned in the same breath.<\/p>\n

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** DID YOU KNOW that we now cover Saudi Arabia and the UAE?<\/strong><\/p>\n

** Were you forwarded this email? <\/strong>Tap or click here<\/a> to get your own copy delivered every weekday before 7am Cairo time \u2014 without charge. <\/p>\n

PSA- <\/p>\n

WEATHER- <\/strong>It\u2019s another summery and dry day in Cairo today, with a high of 29\u00b0C and a low of 17\u00b0C, according to our favorite weather app.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a little cooler in Alexandria<\/strong>, with a high of 24\u00b0C and a low of 16\u00b0C.<\/p>\n

WATCH THIS SPACE-<\/p>\n

<\/a> #1- The next stage for Egypt is t<\/strong>o \u201c<\/strong>to accelerate the pace of reform\u201d <\/strong>by achieving four<\/strong> goals<\/strong>, IMF Middle East and Central Asia head Jihad Azour told Asharq Business on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank spring meetup in Washington (watch, runtime: 15:51<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The big four: <\/strong><\/p>\n