It’s Time to Move towards the Creative Economy The knowledge economy and digital transformation intersect with all pillars of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI) 2030 strategy.
Under the theme, "Creativity is the key of Sustainability" and sponsored by Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, the third edition of the Egypt Business Solutions Summit kicked off on Monday, November 25, 2025. Dr. Dahlia El-Hawary, GAFI Deputy CEO, participated in the first session titled "Stakeholders of the Creative and Knowledge Economy." The session featured Dr. Marisa Henderson, Chief of the Creative Economy Programme at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); Mr. Mark Howard, Country Director at the British Council; Mr. Gamal Abou Ali, Partner and Board Member at Hassouna & Abu Ali; and Ms. Hala Barakat, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the American University in Cairo. The session was moderated by Dr. Merit Dedebas, Regional Manager for Frankfurt School of Finance and Management in the Middle East and North Africa.
In her speech, Dr. Dahlia El-Hawary emphasized the intersection of the creative and knowledge economy and digital transformation with the pillars of the GAFI’s strategy, launched in 2023, aimed at attracting sustainable investment in line with Egypt's Vision 2030 "to develop a competitive, balanced, and diversified economy that supports innovation, knowledge, social justice, and economic and environmental development.
" GAFI's strategy is based on key pillars, the most important of which is attracting FDIs and promoting investment opportunities. One of the main actions associated with this pillar is the launch of the dynamic and interactive Investment Map of Egypt, which includes all relevant information for investors about opportunities in priority sectors. The Map is regularly updated through collaboration with all concerned ministries as well as the private sector.
Dr. Dahlia emphasized that one of these pillars aims to simplify and facilitate procedures and develop investment frameworks through the digitization of processes and the launch of electronic company incorporation services, as well as the ability to obtain licenses electronically, including the Golden License.
The Golden License is a single approval that includes all the necessary permits and licenses for establishing and operating projects, including those aimed at transferring and localizing modern technologies to Egypt, and encouraging innovation, development, and scientific research. Another key pillar of GAFI's strategy is to support entrepreneurship, which is a fundamental component of fostering a knowledge-based economy through providing comprehensive technical support services to entrepreneurs in the early stages and expansion phases.
Dr. Dahlia also mentioned that efforts are currently underway to transform GAFI into a hub for investment information and data to support evidence-based decision-making by policymakers and investors. She concluded her speech by emphasizing GAFI's adoption of a collaborative approach aimed at integrating all relevant stakeholders to create an investment climate that supports the knowledge economy