Registering and Networking

Dr. Mohamed Farid

Chairman of the Financial Supervisory Authority

Mr. Ayman Soliman

Chief Executive Officer - The Sovereign Fund of Egypt

Dr. Mohamed Maait

Minister of Finance

Opening Speeches

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The local market is currently facing a key challenge in its ability to re-attract foreign investments to the local market in 2023 as the Egyptian economy enters a new phase marked by a flexible exchange rate.
&nbsp;
The new system adopted by the Central Bank of Egypt on Thursday, October 27, has been a dream that came true for investors in the financial market. Especially foreigners whose investments have fallen substantially with their share of trading decreased for a long time for many reasons, most remarkably the absence of equitable pricing of the pound against the US dollar, according to analyses by investment banks and financial institutions.
&nbsp;
Although Egypt has obtained a loan totaling USD 9 bn. from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and global partners, the need for dollar liquidity to pay obligations during the coming year entails tapping into the stock market to re-attract foreign investors.
&nbsp;
Accordingly, the first session discusses how to bring in liquidity, increase the share of foreign investors in trading and attract global investment funds, as well as Egypt&rsquo;s capability of implementing strong IPOs that attain this goal. The session also explores available opportunities in the market, given the low stock prices of listed companies in a more attractive way than unlisted companies.
&nbsp;
Points of discussion:
- Is adopting a flexible exchange rate policy sufficient to re-attract foreign investors to the Egyptian Exchange? Are there other requirements?
<ul>
<li>Overview of available investment opportunities in the local market</li>
<li>Investment banks' recommendations to deal with the upcoming stage challenges</li>
<li>How does the Sovereign Fund reposition to attract investments amid the new economic path?</li>
<li>The non-banking financial services sector's opportunities during the upcoming period, in conjunction with high-interest rates and Egyptian currency correction</li>
</ul>
- What are the features of offerings that can attract foreign investment funds? What examples and modalities?
- Prospects of successful state-owned companies IPOs program and the requirements of the return of privately-owned companies.
- How local firms address the impact of higher exchange rates and interest rate hikes on costs.
- Will Gulf investments keep injecting life into the stock market?
- Discussion on State Ownership Policy Document and exit from specified economic sectors.

Mr. Karim Saada

Managing Director of Al Ahly Capital Holding

Mr. Ashraf Hamed

Vice Chairman, Chief Executive Officer OBOUR LAND FOR FOOD INDUSTRIES

Mr. Amr Abou El-Enein

CEO of CI Capital Asset Management

Mr. Ahmed Atta

CEO of the Saudi Industrial Investments Company

Mr. Ahmed El-Oraby

Partner at SBI Capital

Mr. Mohamed El-Kalla

CEO of Cairo Real Estate Investment and Development Company - CIRA Education

The local market is facing the challenge of re-attracting foreign investors

Coffee break

&nbsp;
The banking sector is currently carrying out a core function represented in supporting manufacturing, which tops the government&rsquo;s priorities right now.
&nbsp;
This session discusses avenues available to local banks and innovative solutions that proffer to facilitate manufacturers&rsquo; business and secure production inputs along with promoting exports under the balance of payments deficit and local and global challenges.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The session also discusses the business scenario of the banking sector amid interest rate hikes and the adoption of the flexible exchange rate. Further, this session touches upon the role of banks in direct investing in the local market in light of the central bank&rsquo;s relevant decisions.
&nbsp;
Points of discussion:
- Are the initiatives launched by the central bank to finance small and medium-sized enterprises and manufacturers sufficient to support production activities?
- Is the role of the banking sector limited to providing finance for industrial activities or covering financial, technical, and marketing consulting?
- Is the role of the banking sector limited to providing finance for industrial activities or covering financial, technical, and marketing consulting?
- How do banks develop instruments to protect firms from the risks of exchange rate and interest rate hike fluctuations?
- In light of President Al-Sisi&rsquo;s directions to the central bank and banking sector to finance industrial ventures based on a limited list. How can banks deal with these directions?
&nbsp;

Mr. Tarek El-Khouly

Chairman and Managing Director of saib Bank

Ms. Ghada Al Baily

Chairman of  Industrial Development Bank (IDB).

Mr. Ashraf El-Kady

Chairman & Director of The United Bank

Mr. Alaa Farouk

Chairman of the Egyptian Agricultural Bank

Mr. Amr El-Bahey

CEO of Mashreq Bank Egypt

Mr. Hussein Refaie

Chairman and Managing Director Suez Canal Bank

The banking sector fulfills a core function

&nbsp;
The transport sector has recently turned out to be one of the most promising investment fields, given the state&rsquo;s ambitious plans to transform Egypt into a global logistics hub and provision of urban transport in new urban areas as well as localization of relevant industries.
&nbsp;
The government, represented in the ministry of transport, aims for the private sector to play a major role in the transport sector by participating in mega projects management, bringing in external expertise and increasing the volume of cargo handling at ports annually as well as achieving the target of Egyptian exports totaling USD 100 bn, and implementing a plan for linking new urban areas and expanding modern means of transportation.
&nbsp;
The authority represented in the ministry of transportation aims to encourage the private sector to play a significant role in the transport field by motivating them to participate in megaproject management, bringing in external know-how, and increasing the volume of cargo handling at ports annually. The state dreams that all this will lead to achieving the target of Egyptian exports totaling USD 100 bn and implementing a plan for linking new urban areas and expanding modern transportation.
&nbsp;
The session discusses the main opportunities that might arise beneath the surface in road and maritime transportation. Sheds light on the most high-profile projects implemented on the ground to create a boom in the sector. This session also discusses the role of logistics ports in reducing significant financial burdens carried by importers within port storage systems and methods of increasing the goods in transit activity.
&nbsp;
Points of discussion:
- How has the transport sector turned out to be the reservoir of promising mega projects?
- What are the most attractive investment opportunities in the transport sector currently?
- &nbsp;What is demanded of the transport ministry to attract sizeable investments from local and foreign privately-owned companies?
- Ways to benefit from dry ports to mitigate fines paid by importers.
- Which procedures are needed to develop goods in transit activity given the capacity of the ports for receiving supertankers?
- What are the required incentives to localize mobile unit manufacturing given the local market needs?

Major General D. Ashraf Mohammed El Lozy

Assistant Minister of Transport for Employment and Budgets

Mr. Mohamed Moselhy

Chairman of Arcas Navigation Company and Chairman of the Alexandria Chamber of Navigation

Eng. Atter Hannoura

Director of PPP Central Unit... Ministry of Finance

Mr. Walid Badr

Secretary General of the Alexandria Chamber of Shipping,  Directors and Managing Director of EgyMar Shipping & Logistics S. A. E

Mr. Amr Mansour

Managing Director of 6th of October Dry Port Company

Dr. Ramy Salah

Chairman & Director of Alstom Egypt

Dr. Ahmed Abdel Hafez Abdel Wahab

Non-Executive Chairman & Directors of the Canal Shipping Agencies Company

The transport sector is entering a new phase

Mr. Ahmed Issa

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities

Mr. Ramy El Dokani

Chairman & Director of the Egyptian Stock Exchange

Mr. Basil El Heny

Executive Managing Director of Misr Insurance Holding Group

&nbsp;
The property sector is facing many challenges and crises, such as steadily rising costs of building materials and their unavailability sometimes, which led the field to increase prices beyond the purchasing power of middle-class citizens and upper-ones.
&nbsp;
Over the last few weeks, the government has adopted the full liberalization of the exchange rate, resulting in pound devaluation against foreign currencies. Thus, property development firms are confronted with new types of challenges that need to be handled prudently to survive intact.
&nbsp;
The real estate sector has been facing the same challenges since 2016, but the sector could adjust to them by applying innovative mechanisms and harnessing technology in payment systems to attract customers. Yet, over time, such instruments led to sounding the alarm about the inability of companies to fulfill their obligations in the context of affected solvency, high prices of land, and intensity of competition between developers.
&nbsp;
The session seeks to discuss the plans of CEOs of real estate and contracting companies in the coming year, which will witness the implications of interest rate hikes along with decreased purchasing power.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Points of discussion:
- How can property development firms face escalating costs, especially building materials?
- What is the magic equation for cost containment to ensure selling at affordable prices?
- How do the executives of property development firms and engineering consulting view available opportunities in 2023?
- How do contracting companies plan to ensure viability and transact more business?
- &nbsp; Will the Egyptian market witness the entry of new players in the sector during 2023?
- What lies ahead for companies that sold the major proportion of their projects years ago and did not begin construction?
- &nbsp;What are the main demands to support the sector in the coming period?
- Is 2023 suitable for more expansion in existing companies, or should the firm focus on construction?

Eng. Tarek Youssef

Chairman & CEO of Concrete Plus for engineering and construction

Eng. Abdallah Sallam

President and CEO of MNHD

Mr. Ayman Abdel Hamid

Vice Chairman and CEO of the Al-Oula Real Estate Finance

Eng. Khaled Abbas

Chairman and CEO of the Administrative Capital for Urban Development

Eng. Gasser Bahgat

CEO of Amaken Real Estate Development

Eng. Ashraf Boulos

Chairman & CEO Cornerstone Development

How does the property sector weather the crisis safely ?

&nbsp;
The information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector is one of the sources of foreign direct investment and a means of bringing in hard currency in Egypt given the sector&rsquo;s promising potential, on the top of which stand the data centers industry, and exporting cross-border outsourcing services.
&nbsp;
Over the coming period, in partnership with the private sector, the government, represented by the ministry of communications and affiliated authorities, seeks to create a motivational business environment and attract the world&rsquo;s largest corporations to boost the sector&rsquo;s growth rate and increase its share of GDP.
&nbsp;
As is well known, the sector has recently witnessed substantial developments. There has been a rush by several Arab sovereign funds to get into the communications services market as strategic investors or to acquire stakes in entities operating in FINTEC solutions while some Egyptian startups have faced a crisis of confidence due to financial and administrative distress.
&nbsp;
Points of discussion:
- How can Egypt exploit value-added industries such as outsourcing, data centers, and smart cities to produce dollar returns? What are the obstacles faced by the state to achieve that?
- &nbsp;Technology startups are torn between excessive valuation and chances of success
- &nbsp;Mobile telephone services market's expansion chances and offering non-banking financial services
- Prospects for localizing electronics manufacturing in Egypt to reduce imports and available investing opportunities
- &nbsp;The requirements of the sustained success of technology companies such as E-finance and Fawry amid economic difficulties
- Prospects for startups have given some troubling entities recently.

Eng. Ashraf Sabry

CEO and Managing Director of Fawry for Banking Technology and Electronic Payments

Dr. Khaled Ismail

The founding partner of the HIM ANGEL Fund to invest in venture capital projects

Eng. Osama Sorour

Ceo of  Giza Systems Group

Eng. Amr Sobhy

CEO of Constrix for Outsourcing Services

Dr. Mohamed El Mofty

CEO of ICT Egypt Data Centers

Communications and information technology services are considered a golden opportunity to bring in the US dollar

&nbsp;
Over the last period, several successive crises emerged and negatively affected the manufacturing sector due to supply chain disruption, high transport costs, importing materials difficulty, and pound devaluation. This led to a significant decrease in the factory's production capacity as some of them stopped production at times.
&nbsp;
These consecutive crises prompted the political leadership and the government to direct support the manufacturing sector to attain two goals; to meet local needs and to expand exports as a principal source of foreign currency.
&nbsp;
The attention paid by the government to this prime issue relating to deepening production, localizing industries, and transferring global technology was urgent.
&nbsp;
As a result, the government returned progressively to documentary credit practices within 60 days. Then, President Al-Sisi announced granting a golden license to all applying investors over three months. Additionally, the ministry of industry has started drafting a new strategy for national manufacturing to be publicly debated.
&nbsp;
With leading producers and industrialists, this session reviews the steps taken by the government to encourage and catalyze the private sector to boost production.
Points of discussion:
- The production sectors that benefited the most from the decisions to revitalize industry and expand exports
- How to develop a legislative environment regulating industrial sectors to encourage production and exports
- Sectoral and geographical incentives demanded by manufacturers and the ability of the government to respond&nbsp;
- Assessing the regulations of supplying land for industrial investment, and the prices of offered plots
- The role of &ldquo;Start Industrial Initiative&rdquo; in the encouragement of investors to carry out industrial projects
- Localization of industry in auto, software, and ICT sectors
- Achieving exports totaling USD 100bn plan&hellip; prospects and challenges.

Mr. Mohamed Aboul Gheit

Vice President of the General Authority for the Economic Zone of the Golden Triangle

Dr. Medhat Nafei

Chairman Arab Alloys Company

Eng. Mohamed Ibrahim

CEO of the Egyptian Cables Group

Dr. Sherif El-Gabali

Chairman & Director of the Chamber of Chemical Industries in the Federation of Industries and President of the Abu Zaabal Fertilizers and Chemicals Company

Dr. Kamal Eldesouky

Chairman of Rocal for  Insulation Materials

Manufacturing for localization and export, An obligatory path to overcome the crisis

In 2023, the Egyptian economy is going through a defining phase. There are issues of primary importance including economic path development after obtaining an IMF loan and responding to challenges relating to substantial changes in the global economy due to unprecedented political events.
Under particular and exceptional circumstances, the Egyptian government has drawn up plans to adapt to the changing socioeconomic situation to strike a balance between maintaining business continuity and achieving economic growth.
As part of its plan, the government has adopted a flexible exchange rate, a long-awaited procedure, and has announced incentives for investors. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has also announced that governmental entities can partner with new ventures by providing 50% of capital.
In its direction, the government offers several investment opportunities in vital sectors including real estate, infrastructure, transport, education, and health. Further, the golden license is granted to manufacturers.
In the current year, the CEO's Thoughts Conference explores opportunities that might arise beneath the surface in the context of economic development plans. The event also discusses avenues available to various economic sectors to keep growth and profitability and to avoid the negative impact of global financial and political developments.
Moreover, the conference looks at the industry localization files to identify ways to attain this difficult goal, and to devise an urgent plan to achieve it. Also, the financial market sector&rsquo;s prospects in terms of resilience and attraction of foreign investments are discussed.
Furthermore, the convention discusses challenges faced by the banking sector such as exchange rate and interest rate hikes. Additionally, the conference highlights major developments in the key sectors of the Egyptian economy including &nbsp;ICT, real estate, and transport.&nbsp;

Year of Major Challenges

The 8th CEOs Thoughts 2022 Conference

2

Days

150

Attendees

42

Speakers

8

Panels