A Saudi business delegation is in the Egyptian capital this week to kick the tires on potential investments during the Egyptian-Saudi Investment Forum. The visit includes 100 Saudi investors and members of the Saudi-Egyptian Business Council led by the Federation of Saudi Chambers. A handful of business leaders provided color on their potential investment pipeline, while four smaller players signed memoranda of understanding.

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Players have been signalling interest in possibly expanding their investment footprint in Egypt, with Egyptian-Saudi Joint Business Council Chairman Bandar Al Ameri saying on the sidelines of the forum that Saudi companies could raise their investments in Egypt by as much as USD 15 bn over the next four years to USD 50 bn. As always with figures talked-up by business councils, take that as a suggestion of appetite and potential direction of travel, not a prediction.

THE PIPELINE- Batterjee Holding has earmarked USD 200 mn to invest in Egyptian real estate and industry, Chairman Mazen Batterjee told the press. Batterjee name-checked the pharma, food, building materials, and plastics industries as target sectors. Al Hadban Chairman Mahdi Al Habdan is quoted as having said his company is mulling investments worth as much as SAR 200 mn (c. USD 53.3 mn).

We also heard that an Egyptian-Saudi real estate fund could be in the cards. The fund could, if formed, manage a portfolio of investments under the purview of Egypt’s New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA) and Tourism Development Authority, Egyptian Housing Minister Sherif El Sherbiny said in a ministry statement.

Ease of doing business: NUCA will also set up an internal department to help facilitate make life easier for Saudi and Egyptian-Saudi projects on land NUCA controls, the minister added.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt are also exploring potential joint freezones, investment funds, and industrial zones, Egypt’s General Authority of Freezones and Investment (GAFI) head Hossam Heiba said at the forum, according to another statement.

The forum also saw a a number of preliminary agreements, according to a statement from GAFI:

  • Business City Group and GCC Capital Partners signed an MoU to attract foreign capital into Egypt across sectors including poultry production, food and agricultural manufacturing, private and international education, real estate development, and exports.
  • ASAS and Egypt’s Alcotec Engineering Industries inked an MoU to set up an aluminum cladding panels factory, set to have an annual production 3.6 mn sqm.
  • Al Yusr and Egyptian solar panels distributor Nanovolt agreed to cooperate in marketing, selling, and installing solar panels and related equipment in both Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
  • Yafel Real Estate Development and Investment signed an MoU with Egypt’s Horizon Trade to jointly manage and grow Yafel’s real estate business.

DATA POINT- Saudi investors have invested USD 8.9 bn in Egypt over the past 20 years across, according to GAFI.

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