Egypt has mobilised $15.6 billion in concessional financing for its private sector from international development partners between 2020 and May 2025, Planning and International Cooperation Minister Rania Al-Mashat said on Sunday. Speaking at the opening of a high-level conference titled Development Finance to Foster Private Sector-led Growth and Jobs Economic Growth and Employment, Minister Al-Mashat stressed that the government is pushing to reshape its economy into a competitive, private-sector-led model anchored in sustainability and international partnerships. She emphasised that bridging the global sustainable development financing gap—estimated at $4 trillion annually by the UN—requires a fundamental restructuring of the global financial system to expand fiscal space for developing economies. "The increasing calls to reform the Bretton Woods system aim to unlock more long-term development finance and scale up blended financing mechanisms," Minister Al-Mashat said. "Mobilising development financing for the private sector is now more critical than ever." Expanding Access to Finance To address this challenge, Egypt has introduced a comprehensive framework for "economic diplomacy" aimed at strengthening cooperation between international financial institutions and private enterprises, including small and medium-sized businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs. Through this approach, Egypt has secured over $15.6 billion in soft loans and technical assistance for the private sector from more than 30 bilateral and multilateral development partners over the past five years, she noted. More than 40 per cent of these funds have gone to the banking and financial sectors, while renewable energy, electricity, and logistics sectors accounted for over 25 per cent, including $4 billion in concessional financing for projects under Egypt's NWFE green energy programme. Minister Al-Mashat also announced a new €1.8 billion investment guarantee mechanism in coordination with the EU, which will help derisk private sector projects and unlock more concessional capital through institutions such as the EIB, EBRD, IFC, and Germany's KfW. Hafiz Platform and Technical Support To better connect international financiers with local companies, the ministry launched Hafiz, a unified digital platform offering over 90 services and 1,000 domestic and global partnership opportunities for private sector actors of all sizes. In parallel, Egypt has secured more than $200 million in ongoing technical assistance to help private businesses improve capabilities, conduct feasibility studies, and access new markets. Notably, the implementation period for PPP project preparation has been cut from a year to just two months due to enhanced support services. Green Industrial Push and Africa Expansion Egypt is among seven countries selected by the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) to benefit from a $1 billion green industry support programme. The EIB also signed a new grant agreement at the conference to support sustainable industrial projects through concessional finance mechanisms. Minister Al-Mashat noted that Egypt's international development partnerships also support private sector expansion into Africa, aligned with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's directive to deepen economic ties and support Agenda 2063. The government is working to boost South-South cooperation and open new markets for Egyptian firms through joint committees and concessional lending, she added. Global Forum and Policy Reform Minister Al-Mashat confirmed that Egypt will showcase its blended finance experience at the upcoming Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) in Seville, Spain. The event will also highlight Egypt's debt-for-development swap models and public-private partnership financing tools. Quoting President Sisi's recent remarks, Al-Mashat said Egypt is calling for "concrete action to reform the global financial architecture, enhance existing financing instruments, and create innovative mechanisms that incentivise private investment and sustainable development." She concluded that Saturday's gathering—with participation from the IFC, EIB, EU officials, and major development banks—demonstrates Egypt's growing role as a regional and international platform for multilateral cooperation and development finance. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
