Egypt's minister of investment and international cooperation, Sahar Nasr, signed a protocol with the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS)'s chairperson, Khairat Barakat, to create a survey on the newly founded firms to figure out their problems and to simplify governmental procedures, according to a Thursday ministerial press statement. Nasr said that new protocol with the CAPMAS follows President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi's directives to facilitate procedures for investors, solve all their problems through following the newly founded firms situation, and take suitable decisions to enhance Egypt's business climate. Furthermore, she noted that the new protocol coincides with the ministry's exerted efforts to provide an attractive environment for local and foreign investors as well. Nasr added that investments are very important to enhance people's standards of living and decline unemployment indicator, noting that investments benefit developing infrastructure and supports development projects. She said that creating the new survey will help her ministry to identify the problems that face new investors and remove expected obstructions, adding, "we will provide needed funding for the new survey as well as companies' data and information, which were founded through investors' centres." The minister praised the CAPMAS's role as an international pioneering agency specialized in mobilizing data, noting that the ministry's team will participate in following up on activities, results of the survey, and quality control programmes in all phases of the field work. Meanwhile, the CAPMAS's chairperson said that his agency will be conducting the survey's field work, including 18,700 companies that were established at the investor's services' centres from January 2017 to December 2017. "The CAPMAS will provide researchers and will cooperate with the Investment Ministry to prepare a team and train persons on how they can deal with a survey's form and adoption of the methodology of the survey," said Barakat. The chairperson noted that the main goal of the protocol signing is to mull the problems and challenges newly founded companies face, in order to develop plans that do meet the challenges. He stressed that his agency employs highest level of experienced researchers and quality control staff, which will help extensively in yielding high level outcomes. Barakat mentioned that his agency is the official body for statistics and census under law 35 of 1960. He also noted that one of the most important objectives of the agency is to complete the unified and comprehensive statistical work system, in order to stay informed about all developments happening in different aspects of life and to develop a comprehensive information system that assists in planning, evaluation, policy, and decision-making in all areas of development.
