To achieve “energy independence,” U.S. President Donald Trump’s priorities are clear: revitalizing fossil fuel investments. To date, he has removed “protected” status from onshore and offshore sites, allowing drilling companies to operate freely. Trump also allocated $800 million to update U.S. coal infrastructure and has been rolling back emissions caps. Furthermore, he pulled funding from green energy projects, even those already receiving federal support, and eliminated all clean-energy subsidies. The United States is not alone. According to the Production Gap 2025 report published by the Stockholm Environment Institute, an international research nonprofit that tackles environmental and sustainable development challenges, only…
Author: Tamer Hafez
To boost Egypt’s GDP growth in the coming years, the government has been touting greater private-sector investment. In June, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said private investment would account for 66% of Egypt’s economy by 2030, up from 60% in fiscal year 2025/2026. During this period, private investment’s contribution to GDP would rise from 77% to 82%. Powering that growth will require new energy ventures, with the greatest potential in sustainable energy projects. “Of the $3.4 trillion the world would spend on energy investments this year, $2.2 trillion will go to clean energy and just $1.2 trillion to fossil fuels,” according…
Since the end of 2019, one economic reality has stood out above almost everything else: Relying on imported fossil fuels to set macroeconomic policy and power economic activity is becoming a gamble. During COVID-19 lockdowns in August 2020, oil prices fell from $75 to $18 per barrel. By May 2022, they had spiked to nearly $116 as global economic growth roared back amid supply chain bottlenecks. By the start of 2026, oil prices had declined to $57.50 per barrel. However, the start of the war in Iran in February fueled a price hike to $110 in late March. By mid-July,…
In today’s world, allocating several hours, let alone days, to focus on a single difficult, critical task is increasingly challenging. Instant notifications from digital apps and social media fight a ferocious war for users’ attention. Meanwhile, bosses are demanding immediate responses to their communications. That reality promotes “shallow work” over “deep work.” In his book “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World,” Cal Newport defines the latter as “professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate.” “Shallow…
The harsh reality in low- and middle-income nations is that their top minds and talent often realize that working in wealthy nations can lead to higher living standards, better amenities and public infrastructure, and resources to build more fulfilling careers. Bringing them back or retaining them is difficult. “Reversing brain drain is more than a policy challenge,” noted a January 2025 paper from Beyond Emerging Europe, a digital platform promoting talent development. “It is a broader project of national renewal, requiring trust in domestic institutions and belief in a shared future.” For low- and middle-income nations, brain drain means more remittances. Remittances were Egypt’s largest…
Egyptian household and individual consumption as a percentage of nominal GDP has remained consistently high despite global and regional health (COVID-19) and geopolitical volatility in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip, and Iran. Data curator CIEC Data estimated private consumption accounted for 94.1% of nominal GDP in 2025, up from 92.5% in 2024. That is the second-highest percentage on record, after August 2024, when consumption reached 97.1% of nominal GDP. Furthermore, consumption since the second half of 2024 has been higher than historical figures, which had not exceeded 87% since 2015, according to CIEC Data. This jump in consumption is due to…
The world has grown increasingly concerned about artificial intelligence (AI) taking over human jobs since ChatGPT launched in 2022. That is because it can understand natural human language (written and spoken), search the internet for data, generate narratives from queries, solve mathematical problems, and make forecasts. Those fears are partially founded. “While 92 million jobs might be eliminated by 2030, 170 million new roles will be created because of AI,” the World Economic Forum (WEF) said in February. Additionally, many existing professions will change. “Over the next two to three years, 50% to 55% of jobs … will be reshaped…
Remittances are a crucial stabilizing factor for the Egyptian economy, accounting for $41.5 billion last year alone. That is a massive amount, given that tourism contributed $18 billion, FDI $11 billion, and the Suez Canal $3.6 billion. Remittances are also growing faster than other revenue sources. According to the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), the first nine months of fiscal year 2025/2026 saw transfers jump 32% over the previous year. These inflows are less affected by geopolitical and geoeconomic volatility than other sources. “They act as a shock absorber to Egypt’s economy,” noted Nour Adbellhamin, a reporter for state-owned Ahram…
Losing high-level talent has become a serious concern for Egypt, so much so that House of Representatives members in April tasked the Defense and National Security Committee to “discuss the issue of brain drain and its implications for Egyptian national security, in light of the growing challenge posed by the migration of skilled scientific and professional talents abroad,” according to local media. The committee found “significant migration of … young scientists, researchers, doctors and engineers amid the greater job opportunities and financial and research resources offered by [other] countries,” according to state-owned Ahram English. However, TheGlobalEconomy.com, a research portal, paints…
The top economic priority for the United States under President Donald Trump has been to reduce imports, increase exports, and create jobs. “By prioritizing American workers, manufacturers, and energy producers, the administration is strengthening the nation’s economic foundation and reducing reliance on foreign supply chains,” said a White House blurb. “These policies are driving sustained growth, expanding opportunity, and ensuring the American economy remains strong, competitive, and resilient for years to come.” Yet not all of these new directives are working as intended. Domestically, Trump’s agricultural plans are conflicting: give farmers tax and customs exemptions, but then limit their ability to secure less expensive…