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    Saudi Arabia’s ambitions for food production advancement supported by ICRISAT-FAO partnership

    Saudi Arabia’s ambitions for food production advancement supported by ICRISAT-FAO partnership

    Egypt’s agriculture exports rise 17.2 percent in 5 months

    Egypt’s agriculture exports rise 17.2 percent in 5 months

    Egypt secures $66 mln from EU, AFD to expand wheat storage

    Egypt secures $66 mln from EU, AFD to expand wheat storage

    Agreements signed to establish 4 food factories in Jordan

    Agreements signed to establish 4 food factories in Jordan

    Morocco set to launch potash project: report

    Morocco set to launch potash project: report

    Food Africa and pacprocess MEA to launch in December with an even larger area

    Food Africa and pacprocess MEA to launch in December with an even larger area

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      Number of BIA passengers up by 26.90% annually YTD APRIL 2023

      Number of BIA passengers up by 26.90% annually YTD APRIL 2023

      Qatar’s non-oil sector achieved 9.9% growth in Q4 2022: Prime Minister

      Qatar’s non-oil sector achieved 9.9% growth in Q4 2022: Prime Minister

      International investors keen on entering Saudi market, says minister

      International investors keen on entering Saudi market, says minister

      Egypt aims to enhance contribution of IT sector to GDP: Talaat

      Egypt aims to enhance contribution of IT sector to GDP: Talaat

      Saudi airports witness 42% rise in passengers in first 4 months of 2023

      Saudi airports witness 42% rise in passengers in first 4 months of 2023

      Oman’s annual inflation rate eases to 1.1% in April, lowest since March 2021

      Oman’s annual inflation rate eases to 1.1% in April, lowest since March 2021

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      Construction activity in Saudi Arabia reaches highest level in years: Survey

      Construction activity in Saudi Arabia reaches highest level in years: Survey

      Oman gears up for its first smart city

      Oman gears up for its first smart city

      Saudi real estate ‘booming’ on big office space demand

      Saudi real estate ‘booming’ on big office space demand

      Value of Saudi construction contracts jump 35% to $51.3bn: report

      Value of Saudi construction contracts jump 35% to $51.3bn: report

      Qatar to implement new strategies for real estate development

      Qatar to implement new strategies for real estate development

      Real Estate Development Fund deposits $248m in Sakani accounts to boost Saudi housing goals

      Real Estate Development Fund deposits $248m in Sakani accounts to boost Saudi housing goals

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        UN-HABITAT partners with LCEC, expanding efforts to provide responsible renewable energy solutions in Lebanon

        UN-HABITAT partners with LCEC, expanding efforts to provide responsible renewable energy solutions in Lebanon

        Clean energy technology manufacturing market to reach $790bln by 2030: IEA

        Clean energy technology manufacturing market to reach $790bln by 2030: IEA

        Total-led consortium to start drilling offshore Lebanon in September

        Total-led consortium to start drilling offshore Lebanon in September

        Egypt invests $64mln in electricity network development in South Sinai since July 2014

        Egypt invests $64mln in electricity network development in South Sinai since July 2014

        First accredited low-carbon ammonia shipment dispatched from Saudi Arabia to Japan

        First accredited low-carbon ammonia shipment dispatched from Saudi Arabia to Japan

        Oman’s refinery products output jumps by 44%

        Oman’s refinery products output jumps by 44%

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          Qatar: Over 700 hotel keys added in Q1

          Qatar: Over 700 hotel keys added in Q1

          Jordan’s tourism income surges 88% as visitors flock to the country

          Jordan’s tourism income surges 88% as visitors flock to the country

          Dubai’s hotel stock hits 150,000 keys as tourist influx from India, Russia, Oman buoys hospitality sector

          Dubai’s hotel stock hits 150,000 keys as tourist influx from India, Russia, Oman buoys hospitality sector

          Leisure sector in Qatar stronger after World Cup 2022

          Leisure sector in Qatar stronger after World Cup 2022

          Qatar has ‘solid’ line-up of infrastructure, hospitality projects to prepare for large influx of visitors in 2022: OBG

          Qatar has ‘solid’ line-up of infrastructure, hospitality projects to prepare for large influx of visitors in 2022: OBG

          Saudi to be among world’s big leisure tourism hubs by 2030

          Saudi to be among world’s big leisure tourism hubs by 2030

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          Saudi Arabia’s ambitions for food production advancement supported by ICRISAT-FAO partnership

          Saudi Arabia’s ambitions for food production advancement supported by ICRISAT-FAO partnership

          Egypt’s agriculture exports rise 17.2 percent in 5 months

          Egypt’s agriculture exports rise 17.2 percent in 5 months

          Egypt secures $66 mln from EU, AFD to expand wheat storage

          Egypt secures $66 mln from EU, AFD to expand wheat storage

          Agreements signed to establish 4 food factories in Jordan

          Agreements signed to establish 4 food factories in Jordan

          Morocco set to launch potash project: report

          Morocco set to launch potash project: report

          Food Africa and pacprocess MEA to launch in December with an even larger area

          Food Africa and pacprocess MEA to launch in December with an even larger area

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          • Business & Economy
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            Number of BIA passengers up by 26.90% annually YTD APRIL 2023

            Number of BIA passengers up by 26.90% annually YTD APRIL 2023

            Qatar’s non-oil sector achieved 9.9% growth in Q4 2022: Prime Minister

            Qatar’s non-oil sector achieved 9.9% growth in Q4 2022: Prime Minister

            International investors keen on entering Saudi market, says minister

            International investors keen on entering Saudi market, says minister

            Egypt aims to enhance contribution of IT sector to GDP: Talaat

            Egypt aims to enhance contribution of IT sector to GDP: Talaat

            Saudi airports witness 42% rise in passengers in first 4 months of 2023

            Saudi airports witness 42% rise in passengers in first 4 months of 2023

            Oman’s annual inflation rate eases to 1.1% in April, lowest since March 2021

            Oman’s annual inflation rate eases to 1.1% in April, lowest since March 2021

            Trending Tags

            • CES 2017
            • Election Results
            • eSports
          • Construction
            • All
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            • Real Estate
            Construction activity in Saudi Arabia reaches highest level in years: Survey

            Construction activity in Saudi Arabia reaches highest level in years: Survey

            Oman gears up for its first smart city

            Oman gears up for its first smart city

            Saudi real estate ‘booming’ on big office space demand

            Saudi real estate ‘booming’ on big office space demand

            Value of Saudi construction contracts jump 35% to $51.3bn: report

            Value of Saudi construction contracts jump 35% to $51.3bn: report

            Qatar to implement new strategies for real estate development

            Qatar to implement new strategies for real estate development

            Real Estate Development Fund deposits $248m in Sakani accounts to boost Saudi housing goals

            Real Estate Development Fund deposits $248m in Sakani accounts to boost Saudi housing goals

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            • Energy
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              UN-HABITAT partners with LCEC, expanding efforts to provide responsible renewable energy solutions in Lebanon

              UN-HABITAT partners with LCEC, expanding efforts to provide responsible renewable energy solutions in Lebanon

              Clean energy technology manufacturing market to reach $790bln by 2030: IEA

              Clean energy technology manufacturing market to reach $790bln by 2030: IEA

              Total-led consortium to start drilling offshore Lebanon in September

              Total-led consortium to start drilling offshore Lebanon in September

              Egypt invests $64mln in electricity network development in South Sinai since July 2014

              Egypt invests $64mln in electricity network development in South Sinai since July 2014

              First accredited low-carbon ammonia shipment dispatched from Saudi Arabia to Japan

              First accredited low-carbon ammonia shipment dispatched from Saudi Arabia to Japan

              Oman’s refinery products output jumps by 44%

              Oman’s refinery products output jumps by 44%

              Trending Tags

              • Hospitality
                Qatar: Over 700 hotel keys added in Q1

                Qatar: Over 700 hotel keys added in Q1

                Jordan’s tourism income surges 88% as visitors flock to the country

                Jordan’s tourism income surges 88% as visitors flock to the country

                Dubai’s hotel stock hits 150,000 keys as tourist influx from India, Russia, Oman buoys hospitality sector

                Dubai’s hotel stock hits 150,000 keys as tourist influx from India, Russia, Oman buoys hospitality sector

                Leisure sector in Qatar stronger after World Cup 2022

                Leisure sector in Qatar stronger after World Cup 2022

                Qatar has ‘solid’ line-up of infrastructure, hospitality projects to prepare for large influx of visitors in 2022: OBG

                Qatar has ‘solid’ line-up of infrastructure, hospitality projects to prepare for large influx of visitors in 2022: OBG

                Saudi to be among world’s big leisure tourism hubs by 2030

                Saudi to be among world’s big leisure tourism hubs by 2030

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              New investment law emerges to regulate rhythm of Egypt’s economy

              Daily News Egypt

              January 16, 2017
              in Economy, Finance
              0
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              The Egyptian economic authorities are racing against time to regulate the rhythm of the economic scene. The cabinet had recently approved the new investment draft law through which it hopes to attract more investments that contribute to increasing employment and economic growth.

              Leaders of businesses see that the law is “good”; however, it is not enough to reassure the local and international business communities that are still suffering while issuing operations licenses and allocating lands, in addition to the recent increase in the financing costs.

              Minister of Investment Dalia Khorshid said that the new law stands as a quantum leap in handling the issue of investment, as it reassures local and international investors about their money and stimulates investment through new customs and tax incentives for projects that create added value and employ a significant numbers of laborers.

              The minister continued saying that the law is a manifestation of the importance of the investment issue for the state now, and also shows the government’s keenness on setting a balanced legislative framework contributing to establishing more investments and enabling current investors to expand in their businesses.

              She added that the law provides a programme of real incentives to attract more local and foreign investments and also strengthens investment guarantees, as it provides an effective system to overcome all the obstacles facing investors.

              The new law, according to the minster, encourages investment to increase the rates of local production, which contributes to increasing the rate of local components used in production.

              Egypt is suffering from a weak inflow of foreign direct investments since January 2011 which was followed by political and economic unrests and has caused Egypt’s US dollar resources to decline, which actually come through foreign investments, Suez Canal revenues, exports, tourism, and remittances.

              Regarding the importance of the law, Khorshid said that the law in its current form includes decisive measures that put an end to routine and bureaucracy. Also, it has overcome the contradictions in the regulations and legislations ruling and regulating economic activity.

              She continued saying that the new law is a victory for investors and the business community and that it will contribute to increasing production rates with the aim of exporting and creating thousands of jobs for youth, besides pushing the economic growth rate upwards.

              Khorshid believes that the law, which is being reviewed by the State Council shortly before being presented to parliament for approval, will contribute to achieving the goals of the government’s economic reform programme and Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt Vision 2030.

              According to the minister, the law includes several articles simplifying procedures and granting licenses. It regulates this issue in about 39 articles; nine of which address the establishment and the services of post-establishment; about 15 articles of which address licenses, permits, and approvals; and about 15 of which address regulating real estate, which contributes to accelerating the pace of starting businesses and carrying out operations by companies.

              Also, the law regulates the process of settling disputes in about 10 articles, most of which focus on finishing the process as soon as possible and the limits of reconciliation, in a way that does not hamper the rights of serious investors and at the same time, does not waste public money.

              The draft law set a number of determining factors to ensure achieving the goal behind the new legislation in attracting more local and foreign investments and preparing the environment of doing business, as it also includes a package of guarantees and incentives for investors.

              Moreover, it has stipulated mechanizing the services offered to investors, which saves time and effort. Additionally, it has set a new strategy for promoting investment outside of Egypt. It has regulated the crisis of licenses and allocating lands and activated the mechanism of disputes with investors.

              New incentives and advantages in the law
              The law’s final draft includes new investment incentives, such as exempting all investment projects from the stamp tax, registration fees for the contracts of establishing companies, and the contracts of registering the lands needed for establishing them for five years starting from the date of registering them in the commercial registry.

              Moreover, these projects will benefit from the 2% unified customs tax, in parallel to establishing technological zones in the fields of information technology and communications.

              Temporary incentives for three years from the date of application
              The law has granted new, however temporary, incentives. It has divided the areas in which investments are decided to be established into two areas: zone A (Upper Egypt and areas most in need) and zone B (the rest of Egypt). Investment projects in zone A will benefit from an investment cost deduction of 40%, with a maximum of 80% of paid capital. Those will also benefit from a tax deduction for seven or more years. As for zone B, investment projects there will benefit from a deduction of 30% of the investment cost. This also includes the Suez Canal Economic Zone. These areas grant a package of incentives for different sectors, including medium-cost education and projects producing and distributing electricity.

              The law has also enabled establishing customs outlets for the exports or imports of investment projects. It has enabled the state to pay the cost or part of the cost of installing some additional utilities for some projects and to allocate lands for free for some strategic industries addressed in the law for three years.

              New guarantees for investors
              The final version of the law seeks to achieve equality in terms of incentives and guarantees provided to Egyptian and foreign investors, in a way that guarantees the creation of a climate attractive for investments.

              Moreover, it protects investment projects from arbitrary decisions, such as nationalization, expropriation, and cancellation of licenses to expand projects, as well as encourages more projects to serve the Egyptian economy.

              The law gives investors the right to transfer the profits of investment projects abroad, and facilitates the liquidation of and exit from projects, in addition to allowing investors to import any raw materials or production requirements without the need to be registered onto the importers’ registry, while providing necessary statistics and data to any investor to complete the investment project. It also allows establishing new agencies to price lands to avoid long-term procedures, and setting new pricing standards that include not overestimating the land value and finishing the pricing process within 30 days.

              The law also provides investors with the right to obtain necessary property to continue their activities or expand in them, regardless of the nationality of partners or contributors or where they live, while establishing investment departments in all branches of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones to deal with the requests of investors.

              The law specified 10 and 60 days to issue approvals for permits and licenses, with the introduction of accreditation offices to facilitate the obtainment of licenses, and issuing a guide for investors, including all conditions, procedures, and timings of establishing companies and obtaining necessary permits.

              The new law has created a new incentive called “Golden License”, which allows strategic or national projects to obtain one permit to establish and operate projects, including construction licenses and land allocation with the activation of a unified approved number for all the dealings between investors and different state agencies.

              Facilitating procedures
              Under the title “Facilitating Procedures”, the law has set standards to allow facilitating the procedures of the obtainment of licenses, as within 90 days from the date of approving the new law, the system of electronic services, business, and databases in all agencies will be activated.

              The law obliges all authorities concerned with looking into requests to establish companies to decide on them within 24 hours. Companies gain their corporate personality once the certificate to establish it is issued. Moreover, to guarantee a fast delivery of services, the authority will issue decisions without being bound by any procedures stipulated in other laws.

              To activate the dispute mechanisms with investors in the new law, the decisions of the ministerial committee to settle investment disputes have executive power without breaching the investors’ right to resort to the judiciary.

              The new version of the law allows the establishment or a contribution in the establishment of companies to promote available investment opportunities internally and externally and keep up with the latest global investment promotion systems.

              In terms of social responsibility, the draft law allowed investors to allocate part of their annual profits for social services in healthcare, social and cultural fields, supporting vocational education, or financing research studies and community outreach campaigns.

              We need a legislative revolution to stimulate investment, say investors
              Hussein Sabbour, former chairperson of the Egyptian Businessmen Association and an investor in the real estate sector, commented that the new law is good, but insufficient, and that Egypt needs a legislative revolution in everything regulating and governing economic activity in the country, because we have laws that have not been reviewed for many years.

              Sabbour added that the law stipulates forming committees to decide on the allocation procedures of investment lands which was a step that had been delayed for a very long time. This will accelerate allocating lands to investors, but Sabbour was concerned that the allocation process will remain slow, especially after the process of allocating lands was assigned to many parties instead of one. This contradicts what had been previously said about activating the one-stop shop mechanism.

              He noted that the cost of economic activity inflated after recently liberalizing the US dollar exchange rate, which obliges the government to establish incentivized procedures for investors to expand their business in order to face the declining demand on the purchase of products due to current price hikes.

              “The bankruptcy law is a good step as a mechanism to ensure investors’ rights while exiting from the market, but the interest rates increase the burdens of financing costs. The interest rate was increased by the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) by roughly 3% to exceed 15%,” Sabbour said.

              Mohamed Taymour, an economist and founder of Pharos Holding, said that the law is required, but that public servants must be granted the authority to eliminate bureaucracy, stimulate investment, help companies implement new expansions, and open the way for other companies to inject new investments.

              Taymour said that the activation and speedy application of the law will define its success, and that there should be a law to protect public servants and grant them all authorities, and not to hold them criminally responsible for administrative mistakes.

              He pointed out that the law includes positive points, such as the direction of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones to set up an authority to promote investment abroad to reassure the international business community on the development of economic conditions in the country. He noted that we also need to reassure local investors, because domestic investor expansion is great evidence for the improvement of the business environment in the country.
              Daily News Egypt
              16 January

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