Dr. Rania Al-Mashat:
Advanced infrastructure has boosted the Egyptian economy's readiness to attract investments and achieve economic development across various sectors.
Egypt's strategic location and infrastructure qualify it to support regional integration among African countries and strengthen its position as a global logistics hub.
Egypt ranks first in the sub-index for electricity and energy, and infrastructure for industrial zones and roads.
The African Development Bank forecasts 4.8% growth for the Egyptian economy in 2026, regaining recovery momentum despite regional and international challenges.
Egypt possesses real potential for strong and sustainable economic growth, supported by state-adopted reforms and strong international partnerships.
The Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation announced that Egypt ranked second among the best-performing countries in the Public Service Delivery Index (PSDI) for Africa for 2024. This index, launched for the first time by the African Development Institute, part of the African Development Bank (AfDB), gave Egypt a score of 58.99 out of 100 points, surpassing the continental average of 45.39 points and also exceeding the North Africa regional average of 50.55 points. The 2024 PSDI report also recognized Egypt as a continental leader in several fields, most notably energy, infrastructure, regional integration, and youth empowerment.
The report serves as a comprehensive assessment tool for the quality of public services in African countries, based on five key dimensions: energy and electricity, food security, regional integration, industry, and socio-economic inclusion.
Commenting on the report, H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, pointed out that the results of the report reflect the extent of progress in infrastructure across various sectors over recent years. This elevates the Egyptian economy's resilience and its readiness to attract investments and achieve comprehensive economic development by empowering the private sector to support development in key sectors, especially non-petroleum manufacturing industries, renewable energy, and food security. Additionally, it drives regional cooperation and integration among African countries, leveraging Egypt's distinct location and the availability of infrastructure for transporting goods and people, as well as industrial and logistical zones.
The index showed that Egypt ranked first in Africa in terms of electricity and energy, scoring 75.61 points, reflecting a remarkable advantage in this field. The report indicated that Egypt scored 82.71 points in access to and use of electricity, 65.97 points in electricity generation, and 93.52 points in the regulatory framework for electricity, supported by an effective independent regulatory body. The report also noted improved performance in renewable energy, despite Egypt still partially relying on traditional energy sources. These achievements are part of Egypt’s commitment to clean energy transition plans. Under its Egypt Vision 2030, the country aims to generate 42% of electricity from renewable sources by 2035, focusing on energy efficiency and emissions reduction.
In terms of regional integration, Egypt scored 56.72 points, ranking third in Africa. The report also highlighted Egypt's performance in infrastructure, where it recorded 91.47% in road quality, one of the highest rates on the continent. It noted that Egypt was among the first countries to sign and ratify regional integration agreements such as the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and the Tripartite Free Trade Area Agreement. The report clarified that Egypt is working to develop an integrated transport network (roads, railways, ports) with the aim of becoming a regional logistics hub, reinforcing its position as a major African trade center.
Regarding industry, Egypt scored 53.47 points, ranking seventh on the continent. The report highlighted that Egypt ranked first in the industrial zone infrastructure index, scoring 58.76 points, reflecting significant development in establishing modern and integrated industrial zones in the country. The report stated that despite the regulatory environment scoring only 48.65 points, strong infrastructure boosted manufacturing opportunities and investment expansion.
In the dimension of socio-economic inclusion, the AfDB report indicated that Egypt scored 62.18 points, placing it among the top seven performing countries in Africa. The report highlighted that Egypt ranked first on the continent in the youth training and employment index, scoring 78.69 points, reflecting the state's efforts in developing training programs and initiatives to bridge the skills gap and enhance employment opportunities. The report also noted that 99% of Egypt's population has access to safe drinking water, which is a significant achievement. Egypt also scored 51.6 points in the healthcare quality index.
The AfDB report also indicated that Egypt has achieved tangible accomplishments in women's empowerment, noting Egypt's adoption of a national strategy for women's empowerment until 2030. Recent years have witnessed an increase in higher education completion rates for girls, and the percentage of women's representation in parliament rose to 27.7% in 2021, which is among the highest rates on the continent.
Regarding the food security dimension, Egypt scored 50.11 points, ranking 12th on the continent in this area. This is an average performance, indicating the need for more investment in developing agricultural value chains, improving food self-sufficiency, and reducing poverty and malnutrition rates.
On another note, the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation reviewed Egypt's position in the AfDB’s African Economic Outlook (AEO) 2025 report. The report pointed to positive forecasts for the Egyptian economy's growth, which is experiencing a gradual improvement in growth rates in the coming years, despite the challenges and pressures resulting from regional geopolitical crises and their impact on the region. It noted that Egypt's real GDP is expected to rise from 2.4% in 2024 to 3.9% in 2025, and then reach 4.8% in 2026, reflecting a gradual recovery and restoration of economic momentum in a turbulent regional environment.
The report emphasized that the resilience of the Egyptian economy is based on a set of factors, including the diversification of national income sources, the expansion of government investments in infrastructure, and the state's commitment to economic reform programs in cooperation with international financial institutions. In the regional context, the report affirmed that the North African region, which includes Egypt along with countries such as Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, and Algeria, is expected to witness strong growth in the coming years, supported by the performance of the Egyptian economy.
The report also stressed the importance of broad international support for economic and structural reforms in Egypt, support for the green transition, and strengthening resilience in the face of environmental and economic shocks. It clarified that this support confirms the confidence of international institutions in Egypt's commitment to reforms and its ability to implement policies capable of restoring economic stability and achieving sustainable growth.
The African Economic Outlook 2025 report clarified that Egypt possesses real potential for achieving strong and sustainable economic growth in the coming years, supported by government-initiated reforms, international support, and the direction towards developing productive sectors such as industry, tourism, and renewable energy.