Over the past five years, individuals and households have become increasingly aware they need more income to lead comfortable lives. “Gone are the days when a single 9-to-5 job guaranteed financial security, and you could stay employed until retirement,” noted Nael Chhaytli, a content marketing manager at Get Response, an email marketing software developer. That has made multiple income streams increasingly important. “The concept of passive … income refers to earning a regular income without actively participating in it,” said Saint Investment firm. “The importance of investing in passive income cannot be overstated. It’s a great way to invest upfront energy and resources to ensure you get paid for months or years…
Author: Tamer Hafez
For local real estate pundits, it’s hard not to see that homes have become more expensive. Aqar Sky, a real estate sales platform, estimated the price per square meter for residential units in 2025 has jumped 30% over 2024 in locations that haven’t changed much, like central Cairo, Sheikh Zayed and downtown New Cairo. Meanwhile, prices have nearly doubled in locations where development is accelerating, such as New Zayed and other suburbs of new cities. The Central Bank (CBE) noted that the housing price-to-income ratio has increased nearly 80% since 2022. In December, AUC’s Alternative Policy Solutions (APS), a research…
One of the government’s biggest priorities for the past five years has been reducing imports of engineered consumer products by attracting FDI to those sectors. In September, the Ministry of Industry and Transport earmarked 28 industrial sectors for increased localization. One of these sectors is automotive manufacturing, an industry that experienced growth in the early 2000s when high-end German brands (Mercedes-Benz and BMW); Asian carmakers from South Korea and Japan; and American brands Chevrolet (General Motors) and Jeep (Stellantis) opened factories in Egypt to meet domestic demand. However, local, regional and global political, economic and geopolitical uncertainties have hurt the…
Until a few years ago, electric vehicles (EVs) were positioned as the future of personal mobility, with hybrid cars using internal combustion engines (ICE) and electric motors and batteries (EV drivetrain) to smooth the transition. That is changing as several automakers take different paths, with some investing in green hydrogen while others still prioritize developing ICE-powered cars until a viable alternative emerges. Egypt can accommodate all. EV imports were legalized in 2018, with incentives to import them and build charging stations announced in 2019. Meanwhile, the government plans to produce clean hydrogen in the Suez Canal Free Economic Zone. Lastly,…
Today’s automotive industry operates in a rapidly changing world, requiring companies and governments to clearly identify technological, social, and geopolitical changes impacting the industry and markets. “The global automotive industry stands amid a period of profound uncertainty,” noted Andrew Fellows, head of automotive and mobility at Star Global. In a May report titled “Global Automotive Industry Outlook: An East Meets West Perspective,” Star Global outlines the latest manufacturing and consumer demand trends, as well as geopolitical influences. Emerging east According to the report, Asian countries’ emergence as major auto manufacturing destinations is “no accident. It is the result of ……
Understanding the motives, values, norms and perceptions of people from different cultures — coworkers, managers, customers or negotiation opponents — is crucial for building a successful career. However, this is seldom practiced. “Millions of people work in global settings while viewing everything from their own cultural perspectives and assuming that all differences, controversy and misunderstanding are rooted in personality,” Erin Meyer said in her book “The Culture Map: Decoding How People Think, Lead, and Get Things Done Across Cultures.” “Many … don’t educate themselves about cultural differences because they believe that if they focus on individual differences, that will be…
Around the world, governments, agriculture companies, and individual farmers are increasingly concerned about how much food is grown and produced. “The globe currently faces numerous food-related issues, ranging from a lack of biodiversity to excessive waste, and from ill health caused by excessive consumption to widespread food insecurity,” Ahmed Zainul Abideen, a professor at the Faculty of Industrial Management at the University Malaysia Pahang in Malaysia, noted in a research paper. Those factors are intensifying the global food security problem. “By 2050, food demand is anticipated to increase [between] 59% [and] 98%,” Abideen noted. “This will shape agricultural markets in…
Improving Egypt’s food security and building a more environmentally friendly economy are two top priorities for the government, even if they sometimes conflict. According to Hannah Ritchie, science outreach lead at data curator Our World in Data, agriculture’s harmful impacts begin with “requiring large amounts of freshwater, which can cause significant environmental pressures in regions with water stress.” The second issue is that most conventional farming activity is a “crucial driver of climate change, responsible for around one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions,” noted Ritchie. Meanwhile, EBSCO, a think tank, pointed out in a 2024 research paper that “cattle…
Egypt’s agriculture investment plan for fiscal year 2025/2026 is clear and ambitious. According to the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MPED), its annual state budget targets attracting $2.6 billion in private investment to the sector in fiscal year 2025/2026. That might prove challenging. Research notes from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), World Bank, and S&P Global collectively take a cautious stance on the future of agriculture FDI. They also highlight factors in the MENA region that undermine FDI inflows and outline how individual countries can sustain their foreign investment levels. S&P Global: MENA’s gauntlet The MENA…
Egypt’s history and economy have always centered around the Nile’s fresh water and fertile mud. In 2024, the country was the world’s largest exporter of oranges and fresh strawberries. It was the third-largest global exporter of dried onions, fifth for potatoes, and seventh for fresh onions, frozen strawberries, and garlic, according to World’s Top Exports, a data aggregator. It was also the top exporter of mangoes in the Arab world and second in Africa. Other noteworthy exports include pomegranates and sweet potatoes. In fiscal year (FY) 2023/2024, the value of exported agricultural products accounted for 14% of Egypt’s total non-oil…