Photo: Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade official page
Speaking at a meeting with investors in Luxor, El-Khatib said all Upper Egypt governorates are classified as “Area A”, the category that qualifies for the highest level of state investment incentives.
He said the deduction applies to taxable profits and is capped at 80 percent of a project’s paid-in capital for investments in the most prioritized areas.
El-Khatib said the government is seeking to attract more investment to Upper Egypt to boost economic growth and job creation, adding that tourism remains a priority sector.
He also said authorities are working on a unified investment map that will list projects that have already secured approvals from all relevant state bodies, in an effort to reduce bureaucracy and streamline procedures for investors.
Luxor Governor Abdel-Mottaleb Emara said the governorate is developing projects in tourism, agriculture, and agro-processing.
He said Luxor has prepared an investment opportunities guide that includes 25 unused state-owned assets to be offered to investors.
Emara added that 47 investment opportunities were reviewed during the meeting, including projects already awarded and others under assessment by relevant authorities. Of these, 16 are scheduled to be offered this month, while 12 will be allocated directly by the governor to speed up implementation.
In the 2025/2026 fiscal year, the government allocated EGP 28 billion for local development, with 35 percent directed to Upper Egypt, which is home to around 32 million people, as part of efforts to address regional disparities through infrastructure and industrial funding.
An additional EGP 65.7 billion is being channelled to southern Egypt under the presidential Decent Life initiative, according to previous statements by Planning and Economic Development Minister Rania Al-Mashat.
Al-Mashat said South Upper Egypt—including Sohag, Qena, Luxor, Aswan, and the Red Sea governorate—receives the largest share of the funding at EGP 31.7 billion, followed by North Upper Egypt at EGP 21.8 billion and Central Upper Egypt at around EGP 12.3 billion.
She added that Upper Egypt governorates account for 68 percent of allocations in the first phase of the Decent Life initiative, totalling EGP 237 billion.
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