Cairo: Hassan El-Khatib, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, announced that trade between Egypt and Qatar surged to $143 million in the first ten months of 2025, compared to $80 million in 2023, marking a remarkable growth of nearly 80 percent.
According to State Information Service Egypt, El-Khatib revealed at the Egyptian-Qatari Business Forum that Qatari investments in Egypt have reached approximately $3.2 billion. These investments are spread across over 266 companies operating in sectors such as finance, industry, and tourism. He highlighted the recent strengthening of economic relations between the two nations, citing new agreements aimed at boosting investment cooperation and exploring new collaboration opportunities. This was exemplified by the announcement of fresh Qatari investments in Egypt, including the development of the Alam El-Rum area along the North Coast as part of a key partnership in tourism and urban development.
The Minister emphasized Egypt’s commitment to enhancing its attractiveness as an investment destination in the coming years. This commitment is based on its unique geographical location, skilled workforce at competitive costs, and a stable, secure environment that can host diverse investment projects. El-Khatib also mentioned the government’s ongoing efforts to support economic growth through structural and institutional reforms, long-term macroeconomic policies to stabilize the business environment, and a comprehensive digital transformation in government services. These efforts have already shown positive effects on key macroeconomic indicators, boosting confidence and certainty in the market.
On monetary policy, the Minister noted that prudent policies have contributed to lowering inflation to 12.3% by November 2025, increasing foreign reserves to $50.2 billion, and raising remittances from Egyptians abroad to $36.5 billion, all of which have supported overall economic stability. In fiscal matters, El-Khatib explained that the government has launched successive reform packages that have expanded the tax base by 35% without increasing tax burdens, enhancing trust among the business community. Efforts are also underway to reduce non-tax financial burdens, streamline investor fees, and implement digital transformation to reduce investment costs and promote transparency.
El-Khatib pointed out that an open and flexible trade policy has been adopted to reduce the trade deficit by boosting exports to $145 billion, simplifying procedures, and reducing costs by approximately 90%. This policy aims to maximize the benefits of trade agreements and protect domestic industries, thereby enhancing the global competitiveness of Egypt’s economy. The Minister concluded by affirming Egypt’s ambitious goal to rank among the top 50 countries globally in investment and trade competitiveness within the next two years. He also emphasized that Egypt is offering diverse and promising investment opportunities as part of a vision that fosters integration and mutual benefits between Egypt and Qatar.