Good morning, wonderful people. It’s a busy day for logistics in our neck of the woods and elsewhere, providing plenty of news to get the day started with.

THE BIG LOGISTICS STORY- Purchasing manager indices (PMI) tracking non-oil private sector activity in the UAE, KSA, Qatar, and Egypt told a mixed tale but with all-round hopeful notes. The UAE, KSA, and Qatar saw better performance on the back of higher domestic demand and lower inflationary pressures. Meanwhile, Egypt remained in contraction — albeit at a slower rate — and there were signs that rampant inflation had finally bottomed out.

^^ We have the full rundown in this morning’s news well, below.

The Enterprise Exports & FDI Forum, our latest industry-specific conference, is taking place on Monday, 15 May. The Enterprise Exports & FDI Forum will give insiders and newcomers alike the chance to talk about how to develop an export-centered business and how their companies can help Egypt build an export-led economy that makes us a magnet for foreign direct investment (FDI). The event will take place atthe Four Seasons, Nile Plaza.

Why exports & FDI? In the wake of successive floats of EGP, exports and FDI have never been more important to our economy — or our businesses. We’re gathering some of the CEOs, top execs from local companies and multinationals, investors, bankers and finance folks to speak on how businesses can adapt their strategies to be export-oriented and what Egypt as a country can do to draw foreign investment and much-needed FX. Expect it to be heavy on lessons learned in Egypt and other global growth markets — and lots of success stories.You can learn more on our conference website here.

ON THE AGENDA- We have seven panels where we discuss the steps these leaders and companies are taking to pull in FDI and to make their business export-driven. There will be several “lessons-learned” panels that include an Egyptian product focused one that looks at white goods, consumer electronics, fertilizers and garments. Another intends to extend the steps taken to create an export and FDI strategy through listening to the advice of other c-suite executives who have successfully made their business move in that direction. More panels include how to identify and pull in the right foreign partner, how to become part of a multinational’s supply chain, how industrial clusters can offer a way for SMEs to be part of our export economy and what industries of tomorrow we can leapfrog into. You can check out the full agenda here.

Some of the biggest names in business and finance are on board: The Enterprise Exports and FDI Forum is taking place with the generous support of our friends, including:

Banking partners: Banque Misr | Al Baraka Bank | Emirates NBD | HSBC

Lead partners: DB Schenker | DP World | East Port Said Development | IDG | IFC | Madinat Masr

Event partners: Beyti | Concrete | Global Corp | Grant Thornton | Hassan Allam Utilities | Royal Ceramica

WANT TO BECOME A COMMERCIAL PARTNER? Ping a note to Moustafa, our head of commercial, here.

HAVEN’T REQUESTED AN INVITE YET? If you’re a C-suite exec, business owner, DFI staff, export executive, investor or banker, please fill out the form here to signal your interest, letting us know your name, title and where you work.

DATA POINT #1- Qatar’s total private sector exports grew 17.5% y-o-y in 1Q 2023 to reachQAR 9.08 bn, according to a Qatar Chamber of Commerce report. The growth was driven primarily by exports of essential and industrial oils, which soared 222.6% y-o-y to QAR 5.6 bn. Asia, excluding the GCC, was Qatar’s biggest export market overall, representing a 68.15% share. On a country level, the lion’s share of exports were earmarked for China (34.1%) and India (26.8%). The GCC was the second largest export bloc, representing 16.8% of Qatar’s total private sector exports for the quarter.

DATA POINT #2- The number of e-commerce licenses issued in Qatar in 1Q 2023 grew 25% y-o-y, Al Sharq reports, citing a source it says has knowledge of the matter. Rising commercial real estate prices and costs of outfitting shops were cited as reasons for the surge, with more growth expected by the end of this year. New license issuances were concentrated primarily in the food, apparel, cosmetics, and marketing industries, Al Sharq’s source said, adding that women entrepreneurs are also applying for e-commerce licenses in record numbers.

DATA POINT #3- Jordan’s Aqaba Port saw 14% y-o-y growth in vessel arrival numbers in 1Q 2023,according to a Aqaba Economic Zone statement. The number of containers also grew 15% y-o-y during the first quarter of the year.

PSA #1- Some of Maersk’s shipping services are getting more expensive: Maersk Line will increase the rates of its shipping services from Pakistan, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent to the US and Canada, effective 1 June, according to a company statement. The increase applies to various commodities and container types: 20DC containers will be charged USD 500, while the rate for 40DC, 40High, and 45HDry containers will be USD 600.

PSA #2- Yemen’s PIL is up and running again at Hodeidah Port: Yemenishipping companyPacific International Lines (PIL) resumed yesterday operations through the port of Hodeidah via the port of Djibouti, a Transport Ministry statement says.

PSA #3- Dubai wants to make local sea container charges more transparent: The Dubai Maritime Authority (DMA) has issued a new directive requiring all service providers to declare their container charges to the DMA through a secure trade single window portal, according to a statement. The directive, which came into effect at the beginning of May, aims to allow the DMA “to analyze data submitted by service providers and determine whether they reflect commercial best practices and fair competition,” according to the statement. The directive applies to all providers of local sea container services within, outside, or through any port in the emirate. All current service providers must submit a list of their existing local sea container charges to the DMA within 30 days from the effective start date of the directive, while new service providers must submit within 30 days of being licensed.

Turkey, Russia, and Ukraine’s deputy defense ministers are set to discuss the Ukraine grain agreement tomorrow,as Russia’s deadline to withdraw from the Black Sea crop export corridor approaches, Bloomberg reports. Russia is also scheduled to hold talks with UN representatives on the same day. Russia has threatened to opt out of the pact if its demands to increase its own food and fertilizer exports are not met. The warning has not had much of an impact on benchmark grain futures due to excess supplies and good harvest predictions for next season.

MARKET WATCH- OPEC’s oil output declined in April: The temporary suspension of Iraqi exports and the delays in Nigerian shipments contributed to a drop in OPEC’s oil production last month, a Reuters survey found. This further added to the impact of major producers sticking to the OPEC+ supply cut agreement. OPEC pumped 28.62 mn barrels per day (bbl / d) last month, down 190k bbl / d from March. Output is down over 1 mn bbl / d from last September.

CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

The Arabian Travel Market 2023 (ATM) is on its last day today at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, UAE. Theconference is gathering attendants from more than 100 countries from the travel trade to attend 63 sessions across the global stage, travel tech stage, and a sustainability hub to explore travel trends, opportunities, new destinations and sustainable growth.

Check out our full calendar at the bottom of this email for a comprehensive listing of upcoming news events and news triggers.

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