GAFI CEO, Dr. Mohamed Awad:
- We are working to develop the investor journey and provide an integrated system of investment services and incentives.
- The digital transformation and streamlined procedures are strengthening the competitiveness of Egypt's investment climate.
- Supporting entrepreneurship and empowering young people remain among GAFI's top priorities in the period ahead.
In implementation of the directives of Dr. Mohamed Farid, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade (MIFT Minister), to strengthen the integration between investment and exports and raise awareness of the investment opportunities and incentives offered by the State, Dr. Mohamed Awad, the Chief Executive Officer of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI CEO), took part in the second meeting of “Egypt Takes Off through Exports" initiative, organized by MIFT at Tanta University on July 29-30, under the auspices of the Prime Minister and with the participation of MIFT leadership, MIFT-affiliated bodies, and a number of representatives from the business, export, and investor communities.
During the meeting, Dr. Awad affirmed that GAFI is working to provide an attractive, incentivizing investment environment through an integrated system of services and incentives that keeps pace with investors' needs — starting from identifying investment opportunities, through company formation and licensing, all the way to the operation and expansion stage.
He explained that GAFI continues to develop the investor journey through its investor service centers spread across the governorates, alongside expanding digital transformation and launching electronic platforms that facilitate access to investment services — helping to streamline procedures, cut service turnaround times, and raise operational efficiency.
GAFI CEO highlighted Egypt's competitive assets, chief among them its strategic geographic location, advanced infrastructure, diverse investment frameworks, and free trade agreements that open access to regional and global markets, as well as the guarantees provided under the Investment Law to protect investors and reinforce confidence in the investment environment.
He also addressed the State's investment incentive system, which includes general and special incentives, the Golden License, and the industrial cash incentive, alongside the role played by the Digital Investment Map in showcasing investment opportunities and connecting investors with the relevant bodies — supporting informed investment decision-making.
On the entrepreneurship front, Dr. Mohamed Awad stressed the importance of the “Your Idea, Your Company” center in spreading a culture of self-employment among young people and enabling them to turn their ideas into viable businesses, through mentorship, technical, legal, and marketing support it provides. In this context, he proposed to the Governor of Gharbia the establishment of a “Your Idea, Your Company” unit within Tanta University to introduce students to its services and enable them to draw on them in setting up their own startups, affirming GAFI's readiness to provide the technical support and personnel needed to run the unit — helping to prepare a new generation of entrepreneurs.
The meeting concluded with an affirmation of the importance of continued coordination among the relevant bodies to support investment, production, and exports, and to strengthen the business community's use of the incentives and services offered by the State — contributing to sustainable economic development and boosting the competitiveness of the Egyptian economy.
