Investment and Foreign Trade Minister Mohamed Farid said company incorporation indicators reflected significant growth in investment activity, with around 26,000 new companies established between January and June 2026, up 20% compared with the same period last year, while issued capital reached around EGP 97.5bn.
Farid said Nile Delta governorates accounted for around 50% of all new companies established during the period, reflecting growing investment activity outside traditional business centres and promising opportunities to expand investment and production across the governorates.
His remarks came during the inauguration of the Investor Services Centre in the Banha Investment Zone, alongside Labour Minister Hassan Raddad, Qalyubeya Governor Hossam Abdel Fattah, and General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI) CEO Mohamed Awad, reflecting efforts by state institutions to support investors and strengthen economic activity across the governorates.
Farid said the opening of the centre forms part of the state’s efforts to create a more competitive business environment by simplifying procedures, improving the quality of government services and increasing private-sector participation in economic activity.
He said the Banha centre brings the total number of Investor Services Centres nationwide to 15 and will serve more than 28,000 companies across Qalyubeya, Gharbeya and Menoufeya, bringing investment services closer to investors’ businesses and production sites and supporting efforts to develop the governorates and capitalise on each area’s competitive advantages.
Farid said the Egyptian economy is undergoing exceptional reforms, stressing the importance of translating the results of these reforms into tangible investment opportunities that support comprehensive development, create jobs and improve living standards.
He added that localising development is a key priority in the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade’s strategy. The ministry is working towards this by expanding the number of Investor Services Centres across the governorates and developing investment zones, bringing services closer to areas of economic activity and supporting the establishment and expansion of projects nationwide.
The ministry is also working to develop Investor Services Centres into integrated service points that accompany investors throughout the entire lifecycle of their projects, bringing together in one place as many of the procedures and services as possible that investors need to start, operate and expand their businesses.
Farid said the centres provide investors across the governorates with an integrated range of services, with most government bodies involved in investment procedures represented at the centres, helping accelerate procedures, reduce the time and effort required and facilitate investors’ dealings with the government.
He added that the system covers company incorporation under various legal structures and extends to post-incorporation services, as well as a range of government and technical services related to business operations, providing investors with a clear point of contact with government agencies throughout the different stages of their projects.
Farid said linking investment services with foreign trade services is a central component of the development of Investor Services Centres. The Banha centre provides services related to the Export Development Authority and the Export Development Fund, allowing companies to learn about opportunities to access foreign markets, as well as available export development programmes and services and how to benefit from them.
He said the aim is for the system to accompany companies throughout their growth journey, from incorporation and the start of operations through production expansion and ultimately access to foreign markets, helping build a broader base of Egyptian exporters and increase the number of companies entering export markets for the first time.
Farid said the geographical expansion of services is one of the ministry’s tools for developing investment opportunities across the governorates, improving the business environment and facilitating the establishment and expansion of projects.
In parallel, the ministry is re-engineering and simplifying procedures, expanding digital services, strengthening post-incorporation services and integrating investment services with foreign trade and export development services.
Farid stressed that improving the investment environment is a shared responsibility among ministries, governorates, authorities and other government bodies, and that the success of reforms depends on coordination among state institutions to provide investors with more efficient services.
Labour Minister Hassan Raddad welcomed the opening of the Banha Investor Services Centre, saying it reflected the state’s drive to improve services provided to investors, bring them closer to areas of economic activity, simplify procedures and reduce the time and effort required, thereby improving the business environment and enhancing Egypt’s investment attractiveness.
Raddad said facilitating investor services, providing skilled and trained Egyptian workers and maintaining stable labour relations are key pillars for attracting investment, supporting investors’ expansion and growth plans and creating more jobs.
He said the ministry is working as part of an integrated government framework to provide skilled and trained Egyptian workers in line with the needs of individual projects, supporting investors’ expansion and growth plans and enabling businesses to increase production and create new employment opportunities.
The ministry is also working to strengthen labour relations and improve investor services, alongside expanding the digitalisation of work permits for foreign nationals, helping improve the efficiency of labour market services and simplify procedures for the business community.
Raddad said the ministry has strengthened its efforts in this area through the Central Unit for Investor Facilitation, which provides a direct channel of communication with investors and the business community to quickly examine their requests and address challenges relating to the ministry’s areas of responsibility.
The unit also provides the necessary support to simplify procedures and improve services, reinforcing the principle of partnership between the government and private sector and supporting the stability and expansion of businesses.
Raddad stressed that protecting workers and guaranteeing their rights do not conflict with supporting investors. Rather, the two together provide the foundation for sustainable investment, higher productivity, business expansion and job creation. He said the Labour Ministry is an active partner to the business community and is working to address challenges and facilitate labour-related services.
Qalyubia Governor Hossam Abdel Fattah said the opening of the Investor Services Centre in the Banha Investment Zone represented an important step in supporting state efforts to simplify procedures for investors and bring government services closer to areas of economic activity, helping improve the business environment and investment opportunities in the governorate.
He said the centre’s integrated services, one-stop-shop model and representation of different government agencies in a single location provide an effective model for simplifying procedures and saving investors time and effort.
Abdel Fattah stressed the importance of extending the same services and facilities to investors in the governorate’s industrial zones, allowing them to access the government and administrative services they need close to their projects and according to the same principles of integration, speed and simplified procedures offered by the Investor Services Centre.
He added that providing these services in industrial zones would improve the business environment, reduce the time, effort and costs borne by investors, help existing businesses expand and increase production, and encourage new investment.
The governor said improving services provided to investors is one of the main pillars of improving the investment climate, alongside infrastructure development. He stressed the importance of continued coordination with the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade, GAFI and other relevant bodies to provide a more efficient and integrated service system for investors across the governorate’s industrial zones.
GAFI CEO Mohamed Awad said the opening of the Banha Investor Services Centre represented another step in the authority’s plan to expand access to investment services close to areas of economic activity.
He said the centre aims to help investors obtain services and complete procedures quickly and efficiently through an integrated service system, reducing time, effort and costs and improving the overall investor experience.
The centre provides company incorporation and post-incorporation services, as well as commercial registry, real estate registration and notarisation, taxation, social insurance and Labour Ministry services. It also provides services related to the General Organisation for Export and Import Control, including the certification of invoices and documents and other foreign trade-related services.
Services from the Export Development Authority and the Export Development Fund are also available, supporting companies as they move from incorporation and production to expansion and access to foreign markets.
The centre is expected to serve more than 28,000 companies in Qalyubeya, Gharbeya and Menoufeya, while also providing a VIP fast-track service for investors from across Egypt.
The Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade and GAFI are continuing to develop the investor services system through geographical expansion, re-engineering and simplifying procedures, expanding digital services and strengthening integration between investment, foreign trade and export development services, with the aim of building a more efficient and competitive investment environment.
