Egypt announces fast-track investment system at AIM Congress 2026
Egypt has introduced a “Fast-Track” system to speed up licensing and utilities procedures for investment and industrial projects, with energy projects set to receive priority, Planning and Economic Development Minister Ahmed Rostom said on Tuesday.
Rostom announced the initiative while presenting Egypt’s “Investment 4.0” vision at a ministerial roundtable during the AIM Congress 2026 in Dubai.
The system aims to reduce the time needed to establish industrial and investment projects and connect them to utilities and other services, Rostom said.
He said the initiative formed part of a broader shift in Egypt’s investment policy toward what he called “investment quality”, with the government seeking to focus not only on the volume of investment but also on its contribution to economic growth.
Egypt wants investment to generate higher value added, support productive sectors, create jobs, and transfer technology and expertise, Rostom said.
He also stressed the importance of investment contracts that provide the state with an economic return while giving investors greater stability.
Energy will be a key priority under the new system because of its importance to industrial expansion, Rostom said.
He added that digitising investment services was essential to reducing operating costs and improving transparency, helping new investors enter the Egyptian market, and existing companies expand.
AI reshapes global investment
Rostom also said artificial intelligence was changing global investment patterns and becoming an increasingly important factor in capital allocation.
Egypt was responding through a national digital transformation strategy focused on expanding digital infrastructure and developing skills to address changes in employment and production caused by AI, he said.
The government was also working to update legislation and regulations in line with international standards to support private-sector investment in advanced technologies, Rostom said.
The minister also highlighted Africa’s potential as a destination for technology investment, particularly in digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence.
Africa should not be viewed only as a consumer market, he said, calling for investment partnerships that combine capital with knowledge transfer, skills development, and local capacity building.
Such partnerships could support more sustainable and inclusive economic development across the continent, Rostom said.
The roundtable, titled Ministerial Roundtable on Investment: Investment 4.0: Shaping a Resilient and Intelligent Global Economy, was chaired by James X. Zhan, executive chairman of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA).
The session brought together ministers from Zimbabwe and Bahrain, as well as an official from Moscow, to discuss ways of building economies capable of withstanding supply-chain disruptions and changes in global trade.