Egypt's PM follows up progress on state asset divestment program

CAIRO - 13 July 2026: Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the government is closely monitoring progress in its program to divest stakes in a number of state-owned companies as part of the second edition of the State Ownership Policy (SOP) document for 2026-2030

Chairing a meeting in the New Capital on Monday, Madbouly said the government is moving ahead with the state asset divestment program to expand private sector participation in the economy, in line with directives from the political leadership.

The premier added the program aims to maximize returns on state assets, improve their management, attract more domestic and foreign investments and strengthen the business community's confidence in the Egyptian economy.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Hussein Eissa, Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk and Investment and Foreign Trade Minister Mohamed Farid Saleh, as well as senior government officials and representatives of the Sovereign Fund of Egypt.

Madbouly stated the government seeks to give the private sector a greater role in driving economic development, increasing production and employment and enhancing the competitiveness of the Egyptian economy.

He shed light on ongoing coordination among relevant authorities to ensure the government's initial public offering (IPO) program proceeds according to schedule and delivers the highest possible economic return.

The prime minister said the private sector's contribution to total investments has risen to more than 56.5 percent over the past three years and could exceed the government's target of 65 percent within the next two years.

On the divestment program, Madbouly said that 20 of the 30 companies announced under the government's IPO program have now secured temporary listings on the Egyptian Exchange, including 10 affiliated with the petroleum sector and 10 under the public business sector.

He added procedures are underway to complete the temporary listing of four additional companies.

Madbouly said temporary listing marks the first stage of the stock market offering process, to be followed by valuation studies, registration with the Financial Regulatory Authority and the completion of final listing and trading procedures.

He noted the government aims to begin the registration of the first temporarily listed companies with the regulator before the end of the year.

For his part, the deputy prime minister spoke about the institutional framework overseeing implementation of the second edition of the State Ownership Policy Document, highlighting coordination among the State Ownership Unit, the Sovereign Fund of Egypt and the Cabinet's Information and Decision Support Center.

Meanwhile, the investment minister reviewed progress on preparations for the planned offering of a stake in Misr Life Insurance, outlining measures taken so far to prepare the transaction in line with approved regulations and with the aim of maximizing returns for the state and enhancing the company's appeal to investors.