🇪🇬Egypt
The largest Arab economy, the Suez Canal, over 100 million people and mega-projects in real estate, energy and industry. Egypt is the UAE's top investment destination in Africa.
Economic overview
Egypt is both African and Arab, Mediterranean and Red Sea, and that crossroads is its value. With 106 million people it is the continent's third-largest population and the Arab world's largest non-oil economy. The Suez Canal, through which over 10% of world trade passes, is surrounded by an economic zone dedicated to industry and logistics.
Over the past decade the country has launched mega-projects: a new administrative capital, new cities on the north coast, the Benban solar park, a road network and vast land reclamation programmes. After a severe currency crisis in 2023, Egypt concluded a 35-billion-dollar deal with the UAE for the development of Ras El Hekma, the largest foreign investment in its history, followed by an IMF programme and a devaluation that restored confidence.
The UAE is the largest Arab investor in Egypt, present in real estate, banking, energy, ports, retail and agriculture. Flights between Cairo and Dubai are among the most frequent in the region, and the Egyptian community in the UAE numbers several hundred thousand.
Why invest in Egypt
Scale
A domestic market of 106 million consumers, regional influence across the Arab world and an abundant, skilled workforce.
The Suez Canal Economic Zone
Industry, logistics and ports on the world's most important trade route, with its own tax and customs regime.
Energy
Mediterranean gas, Benban solar, Gulf of Suez wind and green hydrogen projects: Egypt is becoming an energy hub.
Large-scale real estate
New capital, new cities, north coast, Red Sea: developments of a size unmatched in Africa, open to Gulf developers.
Strategic sectors
New capital, north coast, Red Sea
Residential, tourism and commercial mega-projects with established Egyptian and UAE developers.
Gas, solar, wind, hydrogen
Generation, electricity and green hydrogen exports, interconnections with Europe and Saudi Arabia.
Suez zone, automotive, textiles
Export plants in the canal zone, automotive, textiles, electronics and pharmaceuticals.
Red Sea, Nile, Mediterranean
Resorts, cruises, urban hotels in a destination targeting 30 million visitors.
Reclaimed land, export
Citrus, vegetables, dates and greenhouse crops to the Gulf and Europe.
Banking, fintech, health
Deep banking sector, digital payments, private healthcare.
Opportunities for UAE investors
UAE investment in Egypt runs to tens of billions of dollars.
- Coastal real estate
Developments on the north coast and the Red Sea in the wake of Ras El Hekma, with established developers.
- Renewable energy
Solar, wind and green hydrogen projects with power purchase agreements and export.
- Industry in the Suez zone
Export plants with port access and exemptions at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe.
- Tourism
Resorts and hotels on the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.
- Export agriculture
Farms and packing units for the Gulf.
Risks and how we manage them
The pound has been heavily devalued. We structure in dollars and favour export or hard-currency revenue projects.
The country is highly indebted. We avoid dependence on state payments.
Procedures are numerous. The golden licence and GAFI's one-stop shop simplify large projects.
Gulf capital is pouring in. We target niches and differentiating partnerships.
Legal framework and ties with the UAE
Investing in Egypt
- 2017 Investment Law with incentives and GAFI one-stop shop.
- Suez Canal Economic Zone with its own regime.
- Golden licence for strategic projects: a single approval.
- Double taxation treaty with the UAE.
- Recognised arbitration (Cairo Regional Centre).
The Dubai connection
- Very frequent Cairo–Dubai flights.
- The UAE is the largest Arab investor in Egypt.
- A large Egyptian community in the UAE.
- Deep bilateral ties and the Ras El Hekma deal.
Dubai as your operating base
For a UAE investor, Egypt is best worked from Dubai. The city offers the tools that are often missing on the ground: a Free Zone holding company to carry the stake, banks used to African flows, a recognised international arbitration framework, tax treaties and investment protection agreements, and regular flights to the continent. For an entrepreneur or institution from Egypt, Dubai is symmetrically the gateway to Gulf capital, commodity buyers and Asian industrial partners. ABC Consultancy sits in the middle of that bridge: we know both shores and we speak to both.
How ABC Consultancy supports you
A confidential 45-minute call to understand your objectives, ticket size, horizon and risk appetite. We tell you whether the project makes sense before going any further.
A written note that sets the perimeter: sector, deal format, partners to target, timeline, study budget and deliverables. It serves as the engagement contract.
Identification of partners, assets and institutional counterparts on the ground. Every counterparty is checked: titles, management, track record, reputation, ongoing disputes.
Meetings with authorities, partners and sites. We prepare, accompany and translate every exchange, then produce a decision-ready report.
Legal and financial set-up between Dubai and the country with our partner lawyers and auditors: holding, joint venture, shareholder agreement, commercial contracts, full due diligence.
Governance, reporting, relations with the authorities, renewal of approvals. We remain your trusted contact for as long as the transaction lives.
Who we work with
UAE funds and family offices
You want exposure to Egypt with a reliable local partner and a Dubai holding structure. We source, vet and structure.
Industrial groups and traders
You need to secure a supply chain, a plant or a commercial outlet in Egypt. We organise the mission, the approvals and the contracts.
Local institutions and companies
You represent a ministry, an agency or a company from Egypt and are looking for capital and partners in the Gulf. We prepare your file and open the doors.
Frequently asked questions
Is Egypt an African or an Arab market?
Both, and that is its appeal: a company based in Egypt reaches Africa through AfCFTA and COMESA, the Arab world through free trade agreements and Europe through the association agreement.
Where should I invest in real estate?
The north coast for holiday residential, the new capital for offices and premium residential, the Red Sea for hospitality, Cairo for mid-market housing.
What is the minimum ticket to invest in Egypt with ABC Consultancy?
There is no fixed threshold: it depends on the sector and the format. An equity stake in a real estate project runs into millions of dollars, whereas a trading or real estate operation can start much lower. In the first conversation we tell you honestly whether your budget allows a serious transaction.
How long does a transaction take?
Expect three to six months between the scoping note and signature for a trading or real estate operation, and nine to eighteen months for a energy project requiring approvals, in-depth due diligence and structured financing.
How is ABC Consultancy paid?
Through engagement fees set in the scoping note, possibly completed by a success fee at signing. We never take hidden remuneration from a counterparty: our only loyalty is to you.
Do I need a Dubai company to invest in Egypt?
It is not mandatory, but it is often the best solution: a Free Zone holding carries the stake, benefits from tax treaties and protection agreements, and repatriates dividends within a clear framework. We set it up with you.
A project in Egypt ?
Describe it in a few lines. We get back to you within 48 hours for a first confidential conversation.
Or directly: WhatsApp +971 545 995 343 · contact@africabusiness.club