Oxford Africa 2026: Egyptian Minister of Planning meets with representatives of international banks and institutions

Written by Ziad Abdel Fattah:

Dr. Ahmed Rostom, the Egyptian Minister of Planning and Economic Development, conducted Intensive meetings With representatives of major international financial institutions and the private sector, during his participation in the Oxford Africa 2026 Conference, held at Oxford University in the United Kingdom under the theme “Establishing Africa’s Position: Leading in an Era of Turmoil”.

The meetings reviewed the resilience of the Egyptian economy in the face of ongoing regional and international turmoil, and the state’s efforts in implementing the economic reform program, in the presence of the Egyptian Ambassador in London, Ambassador Ashraf Sweilem, and the Commercial Minister Plenipotentiary, Wael Abdel Rahim, Head of the Trade Representation Office in London.

Meeting with the Chairman of Standard Chartered

The Minister of Planning and Economic Development’s meetings included bilateral talks with Saif Malik, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank; Chris Chigutomi, Managing Director and Head of Africa at British Investment Corporation International (BII); Patrick Prange, Managing Director and Head of Infrastructure Finance for Europe and the Americas at HSBC; Himesh Patel, Head of Public Sector for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at the bank; and Fumik Noor Shah, Head of Establishment at the UK Export Credit Agency.

The minister revealed that economic growth for the first half of the current fiscal year has recorded a remarkable development, reaching 5.3%, noting that the development plan for the next fiscal year 2026/2027 aims to achieve a growth rate ranging between 5.2% and 5.4%.

Growth rates reflect economic reform

Dr. Ahmed Rostom added that the current growth rates confirm the positive impact of economic reform decisions on the productive and service sectors. From this standpoint, the government aims to increase the positive contribution of real economy sectors to the growth of the next fiscal year, so that 5 sectors will account for 64% of the targeted economic growth during 2026/2027, led by manufacturing industries with 29%, followed by the wholesale and retail trade sector with 11.3%, then tourism with 9.3%, construction with 7.2%, and agriculture with 7%.

The Minister of Planning and Economic Development reviewed the state’s efforts to diversify innovative financing tools for infrastructure projects, including expanding partnership mechanisms with the private sector, sustainable financing tools, and enhancing the use of development financing to improve infrastructure efficiency.

At the conclusion of his meetings, Dr. Ahmed Rostom indicated that the government is working on developing an innovative and sustainable financing model that aims for the smart integration of government resources, private sector investments, and foreign direct capital to finance infrastructure projects, based on the successes and accumulated experience that the state has achieved in building a strong base in the fields of energy, transportation, and urban development during the past years.