A new Index shows that Egypt has edged Turkey from the world’s top 10 largest domestic logistics markets.
A vibrant and fast-growing startup ecosystem, aggressive investment in port modernisation and the development of industrial parks are listed among the key “pull” factors for investors in the North African country.
In its 50-country Emerging Markets Logistics Index 2023, Agility, a supply chain services, infrastructure, and innovation provider shows Egypt has moved up five places to enter the top ten in the Index’s global list showing domestic logistics opportunities.
“The biggest mover in the top ten was Egypt which climbed five places to number nine, displacing Turkey,” said the Index’s authors.
The Index ranks countries for overall competitiveness based on their logistics strengths, business climates and digital readiness.
It described Egypt as ‘one of Africa’s success stories’ over the past decade, outperforming most markets in Africa and the Middle East, including during COVID-19 upended the global economy.
“The country now accounts for over a fifth of the continent’s manufacturing value-add, and the government’s business-friendly approach has been particularly successful at attracting international investors, not least in the high-tech sector,” said the report.
In August 2022, Egypt’s minister of transport, Kamel El-Wazir, announced that the country had lined up 80 logistics projects valued at US$6.6 billion, with plans to amend transport sector laws to attract more private sector investment.
Key projects include the development of container terminals, cruise berths, marine passenger terminals, multimodal transport, river ports and managing terminals in Safaga, Said and Damietta ports.
“This (port investments) will not only aid the throughput of container traffic but is also designed to turn the country into an energy hub, including Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) terminals,” said the Agility Logistics Index analysts.
Another report, the Tech Startups Funding Report 2022 of Disrupt Africa, a platform providing commentary on Afruca’s tech startup and investment ecosystems, also highlights Egypt’s meteoric rise as a top investment destination, buoyed by the rising number of mega deals raised from global venture capital organisations.
The report shows the amount raised by Egyptian startups was the second-highest in Africa and that the country had the second-highest number (131) of funded startups in 2022. Nigeria came first in both
Egypt’s 2022 startup fundraising value was over 80% higher than 2021 figures, and the country accounted for 24% of the continent’s total funds raised last year.
“These numbers continue Egypt’s recent stellar performance, which began in earnest in 2019 when it recorded the highest number of funded startups, alongside a jump in funding compared to its previous figures,” the report said.
Funded fintech startups (26) accounted for almost 20% of Egypt’s funded startups, surpassing the country’s long-dominant E-commerce and retail-tech sectors.
However, in the logistics sector, Egypt had ten startups that raised 7% of the total funds raised by the country.
Morocco, with an overall global rank of position 20, is Africa’s top emerging logistics market, with Egypt (21), South Africa (24), Kenya (25) and Ghana (29) rounding out Africa’s top five slots.
Morocco emerged as the best African country to do business in, scoring the highest in the business fundamentals metric, which measures how easy it is to do business in a particular market from a regulatory, operational and commercial perspective.
The country also scored the highest in Africa in the International Logistics Opportunities category.
Kenya, which has taken steps to nurture digital startups, was Africa’s most digitally ready economy, at position 12 globally.
The Index, which included a separate survey of 750 global logistics executives, found that industry professionals expected enormous benefits from the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
They identified the biggest benefits as reduced red tape for trade, lower business costs, production of higher-value products in Africa and job creation, especially for women.
**bird story agency **
Egypt has entered the global top 10 largest domestic logistics markets, surpassing Turkey, according to Agility's Emerging Markets Logistics Index 2023. Key factors include a dynamic startup ecosystem, significant port investments, and the development of industrial parks. The country has particularly thrived in attracting international investment, especially in the high-tech sector. In 2022, Egypt announced 80 logistics projects worth $6.6 billion and planned to amend transport sector laws to encourage more private investment.
Egypt's startup ecosystem also showed significant growth, with the second-highest funding in Africa, driven by fintech and logistics startups. The Tech Startups Funding Report 2022 highlights Egypt's strong performance since 2019. Besides logistics, Egypt is prominent in manufacturing, accounting for over a fifth of Africa's manufacturing value-add.
Morocco ranks as Africa's top emerging logistics market and the best business environment, while Kenya is noted for its digital readiness. The African Continental Free Trade Agreement is expected to significantly benefit trade, reduce business costs, and create jobs.
