Kouchouk made the remarks during the first joint committee meeting between the Ministry of Finance and the Egyptian Exporters Association (Expolink).
The payments are part of Egypt's export support and rebate program, launched in 2019 to settle outstanding dues owed through the Export Development Fund and improve exporters' liquidity.
The government aims to reimburse export subsidies within three months of exporters completing the required documentation while clearing accumulated arrears, Kouchouk said.
Around EGP 70 billion has been disbursed to exporters over the past six years alone, with EGP 12.6 billion disbursed during FY2025/2026, according to Advisor to Minister of Finance for Economic Institutions Nevine Mansour.
The government plans to settle all remaining overdue payments to exporters within the next two years.
In June 2025, the finance ministry said it would disburse around EGP 25 billion to about 2,400 companies during fiscal year 2025/26 under a broader export support program.
The budget allocated EGP 44.5 billion of a total EGP 78.1 billion earmarked to support exports, industry and clear outstanding obligations.
Kouchouk said the repayments would help maintain financial stability, improve the business climate and enhance Egypt's export competitiveness.
The measures form part of broader efforts to raise annual exports to $115.8 billion by 2030 and increase non-oil exports by 15–20 percent annually through 2030.
Furthermore, the arrears settlements should also strengthen Egypt’s external position and manage balance of payments pressure to lower trade and current account deficit, a major objective under the country’s fund program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Egypt's current account deficit widened by $1.34 billion to $14.6 billion during the first nine months of FY2025/2026, one month after the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
The trade deficit also widened by 24.6 percent to $47.8 billion during the first nine months of FY2025/2026.
Non-oil imports rose by 15.6 percent rise to $61.9 billion, and oil imports increased by 19.5 percent to $17.3 billion during the same period.
Nevertheless, non-oil exports also rose by $1.7 billion to $27.3 billion, while oil exports increased by $55 million to $4.22 billion.
The IMF expects Egypt’s growth to slow in FY2026/2027 as the regional conflict weighs on investment, financing costs, and business confidence.
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