What is the Euromoney Egypt Conference? The conference is a major economic, finance and business event about Egypt that will be held in Cairo on 9, 10 October. This year we will hold it at the Fairmont Heliopolis. Euromoney is a global financial media company which specialises in encouraging, covering and analysing cross-border flows of investment capital.
Why is Euromoney coming back to Egypt now? Euromoney has held a conference in Cairo every September since 1995 – except 2011. As Egypt now has a President, Prime Minister and an economic team it is time to get the economy moving again. And we believe that our event will play an important role in sending a message to Egyptians and to the world that the country is open for business.
Who will be taking part in the conference? We will have an opening speech from the Prime Minister followed by a speech from the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Most, if not all, of the major economic Ministers will take part during the day as will major financiers, private sector businesses and international investors. Our audience will include members of the media, government officials and private sector representatives.
How can people take part in the conference? We have issued invitations to a selected group of people we believe have a direct interest and role to play in getting the economy to move again. We are limited as to the numbers of people we can accommodate in the conference venue. We are, however, for the first time ever going to make the conference available live on the internet – through a dedicated YouTube page. Anyone, anywhere, with an internet connection will be able to see the proceedings. They can leave comments, email us and take part remotely.
What do you believe the conference will achieve? The conference will tell Egypt's economic story to the world in order that the true picture can be seen and opportunities captured. We will also capture a variety of different opinions and through our unique editorial involvement we will ensure that many diverse voices will be heard. But we play only a supporting role – we communicate, advocate, debate and discuss – but investment and growth will come only from the consistent hard work of economic and political stakeholders.
What is the foreign involvement in the conference? At Euromoney we believe that an investor is an investor – wherever they are from. Any major investment in Egypt will almost necessarily be a partnership between Egyptian businesspeople and foreign companies. This cooperation is vital both to technological transfer and empowerment of Egyptian workers. Financing will come from diverse sources – some multilateral, some Egyptian, some international private sector. But the international investor need Egyptian partners – who understand the market, the culture and the opportunities – just as much as Egyptians need technology and capital. We therefore need both – Egytian and Foriegn delegates. And we're happy to say that we have a good commitment from both.
