{"id":619166,"date":"2024-04-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-28T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2024\/04\/28\/talk-shows-explore-a-fresh-imf-report-on-egypts-loan-program-plus-us-pro-palestine-student-protests-get-airtime\/"},"modified":"2024-04-28T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-28T00:00:00","slug":"talk-shows-explore-a-fresh-imf-report-on-egypts-loan-program-plus-us-pro-palestine-student-protests-get-airtime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2024\/04\/28\/talk-shows-explore-a-fresh-imf-report-on-egypts-loan-program-plus-us-pro-palestine-student-protests-get-airtime\/","title":{"rendered":"Talk shows explore a fresh IMF report on Egypt\u2019s loan program. PLUS: US pro-Palestine student protests get airtime"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was a mixed bag on the talk shows last night<\/strong>,<\/strong> with discussions centring on two main topics \u2014 an IMF report on Egypt\u2019s loan program and US university student protests against Israeli aggression in Gaza.<\/p>\n

Egypt\u2019s financing gap of USD 28.5 bn until 2026 \u201cis not a terrifying number,\u201d<\/strong> economist Mohamed Fouad told Amr Adib on El Hekaya (watch, runtime: 22:08<\/a>), in response to figures out by the IMF. The financing gap \u201ccan be remedied by increasing exports by about USD 5-7 bn annually, as well as increasing foreign direct investment to the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest risk to Egypt maintaining its loan program is failing to adhere to a free<\/strong> exchange rate,<\/strong>\u201d <\/strong>Fouad said, referring to the report\u2019s findings. \u201cAs long as there is the ability to manage commercial operations without resorting to the parallel market and merchants are able to price their products for the next three or six months ... over time, people will become accustomed and confident in the official exchange rate,\u201d Fouad added, <\/p>\n

\u201cForeign direct investment will not come without transparency and competitiveness,\u201d<\/strong>Fouad said, pointing to the Fund\u2019s demand for the government to publish all procurement contracts with a value exceeding EGP 20 mn on an open and available website, publicizing any exemptions and benefits provided to state agencies, as well as the debts of government agencies to the public treasury every 90 days. <\/p>\n

Guiding lines: <\/strong>The Fund puts forward about 15 points and general policy guidelines, but in the end they are non-binding targets and what is important is the results, Fouad explained, adding that \u201cthe Fund gives us a framework for governance, which is what we really need.\u201d <\/p>\n

AND OVER IN INTERNATIONAL NEWS- Palestine protests in the US captured the<\/strong> attention of the nation\u2019s talking heads:<\/strong> Arrests at pro-Palestinian student protests in the US are \u201cunprecedented,\u201d said Lamees El Hadidi on Kelma Akhira (watch, runtime: 11:43<\/a>). Columbia University President Nemat Shafik is currently facing increasing pressure to resign for not calling the police on the protesters. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe White House is in a critical position,\u201d<\/strong>Heba Al Qudsi, director of the Washington bureau of Al Sharq Al Awsat newspaper, told El Hadidi, when asked about the extent to which the pro-Palestine student protests have affected the American political decision. \u201cOn the one hand, it cannot condemn the protests from the standpoint of defending and promoting democratic values, and on the other hand, it cannot support the protests because it cannot anger Israel.\u201d The impact on the Biden administration would be \u201cdisastrous\u201d if the protests continued and spread outside of the universities.<\/p>\n

A<\/strong>LSO ON THE AIRWAVES LAST NIGHT-<\/strong><\/p>\n