Egypt's Competition Authority (ECA) has received the first prize for promoting competition policies in 2025 from the World Bank and the International Competition Network (ICN) for its efforts to enhance competition in the education sector. The award was presented to Mahmoud Momtaz, ECA's chairman, on the sidelines of the 24th Annual Conference of the ICN, held in the United Kingdom, according to a statement published by the Egyptian Cabinet. The recognition came in light of a comprehensive national initiative launched by the authority, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, to integrate competition principles across the education sector. The initiative targeted price-fixing agreements among textbook distributors, collusion among printing houses, and exclusionary practices in the school uniform sector, such as exclusive agreements with factories and compulsory bundled sales. Profit margins on international and supplementary school books and uniforms have been reduced, public spending has been optimised, and upcoming market reforms are expected to increase competition and employment opportunities in the sector. Attribution: Awmal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
