Business

Ireland’s Booming Data Center Scene

New design and build model leads to fastest delivery of a 10 MW data center in Europe By the end of 2019, Dublin is set to outstrip London as the biggest European data center market by take-up of data center space – both colocation hubs and hyper scale self-builds. Within this thriving sector, business success…
Interview: Michael McAteer, Managing Partner, Grant Thornton Ireland

Grant Thornton Ireland: Driving Business with Purpose How do you assess Ireland’s economy? Ireland is a small and open economy that it is heavily affected by global economic events. It is the reason why our economy was severely impacted a few years ago, and is now experiencing such a strong rebound. Brexit is Ireland’s biggest…
At the Forefront of a Low-Carbon Revolution

Ireland is allocating 22 billion euro to transform into a low-carbon economy by 2050. The private sector in turn is doing its part to export its own expertise globally Martin Naughton is one of Ireland’s most prominent industrialists and philanthropists. His efforts in promoting the private sector’s contribution to peace and environmental sustainability led him…
Interview: Nicholas Butcher, Managing Partner, Maples and Calder Dublin, Maples Group

Ireland Set to Become the Largest Common Law Jurisdiction in the EU Post-Brexit There is a strong initiative across the Irish legal sector to promote Ireland as a convenient and appropriate hub for international transactions Maples Group is a leading service provider offering clients a comprehensive range of legal services for the British Virgin Islands,…
Interview: Martin McVicar, Co-Founder and CEO, Combilift

Innovative Solutions for Warehouse Management Combilift’s space saving solutions captivate European clients, while improved safety allures US clients How is Combilift developing its business services to bring additional value to clients? We have an established warehouse design department with nine engineers exclusively working on aiding our clients to design and create more efficient warehouses, saving…
Interview: Joe McGinley, CEO, Iconic Offices

Dublin’s Most Iconic Flexible Workspace Increases its Unique Property Portfolio In a complicated business world, flexible workspace solutions are a tactical advantage How do you evaluate Dublin’s property market? Dublin is in the latter stages of a cycle, and sourcing new locations is increasingly complicated. Wealthy, primarily technology, companies are driving up prices and tenants…
Interview: David McRedmond, CEO, An Post

Building a European E-commerce Logistics Hub The development of ‘An Post Money’ and ‘An Post Commerce’ is future proofing the business for the long term How has the digital age impacted An Post’s development? Digital communication has substituted physical letters, which translated into a fall in revenue for An Post in the letter delivery business.…
Interview: Anthony Smurfit, Group CEO, Smurfit Kappa

Irish Roots with Global Reach From humble beginnings as a small box-making factory in Rathmines, to becoming the first Irish multinational, Smurfit Kappa is an innovative world leader in corrugated packaging How has Smurfit Kappa evolved across the years? We have been in business since 1934, starting out making cardboard boxes and packaging for the…
Interview: Mark O’Sullivan, Partner, Matheson

A decade after the financial crisis, Ireland retains a strong globalized business model. Corporate business investment is at record levels and collectively, US multinational investments amount to $387bn, representing 67% of all foreign direct investment in Ireland and 12% of US investment in the EU. What core facts best highlight Ireland’s role as a gateway…
Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt Vision 2030

“The new Egypt will possess a competitive, balanced and diversified economy, dependent on innovation and knowledge, based on justice, social integrity and participation, characterized by a balanced and diversified ecological collaboration system, investing the ingenuity of place and humans to achieve sustainable development and to improve Egyptians’ life quality,” Egypt Vision 2030 Sustainable Development Strategy.…
Eight percent of global shipping transits Egypt’s Suez Canal

The Egyptian government is implementing an ambitious strategy to improve and develop the transport sector to enhance the state resources and benefit on Egypt’s strategic location. Egypt has 108 000 kilometers of roads and 9 750 kilometers of railways, along with 20 airports, 15 harbors and a series of land ports. Transport and logistics represented…
New sector specific mega industrial zones in Egypt seek to improve valued added export capabilities

Egypt streamlined its industrial licensing processes to boost investment. They slash bureaucracy and decrease the waiting time for new projects. The industry sector is the second biggest economic sectors in the country representing more than a third of the GDP and more than 13% of the total labor force. In 2014, Egypt started a series…
New Administrative Capital in Cairo

Since the day the Pharaohs commissioned the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt has been home to vast mega-projects. Today is no exception, with the Suez Canal to the ongoing New Administrative Capital, presented as the biggest planned city of all time, Egypt has been living up to its Ancient ancestors. In March 2015, Egyptian Minister…
A growing population in Egypt demands quality housing

One of the best solutions for Egypt’s constant overpopulation of cities has been urban expansion. It is part of an ambitious government plan to build new cities on the outskirts of every major governorate in Egypt. The Egyptian real estate sector has historically proven resilient to economic and political tensions over the past decade and…
Becoming an Energy Hub: From blackouts to exports, the Egyptian energy sector has made a complete 360 in the past five years

Egypt’s oil and gas sector was on a downward spiral for years due to the impact of the Arab Spring, the unfolding of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the military coup. The country could not even keep its lights on five years ago. In 2013, due to a series of blackouts, factories were forced to shut…
Zohr: Massive new natural gas discoveries in the Mediterranean will meet and exceed Egypt’s national demand for years.

Egypt is the third-largest dry natural gas producer on the continent and the largest non-OPEC oil producer in Africa. In addition, the Suez Canal and Suez-Mediterranean Pipeline (SUMED) are strategic high-security global transit routes for oil shipped from the GCC to Europe and the United States. Egypt is the most populous country in North Africa,…
Egypt’s growing population is reinforcing economic growth while severely straining national resources

Egypt’s demographic boom has been a blessing to the economy. As the largest consumer market in the Middle East every sector of the economy can confidently expect sales to increase backed by national demographic trends. The needs of the growing population provide massive investment potential, and the private sector continues to find new opportunities to…
New Investment Law in Egypt

The landmark new investment law, ratified in 2017, changed the landscape of business in Egypt. The law has modernized and reduced barriers to how international companies invest and operate in Egypt, offering incentives, simplifying the processes, guaranteeing protection from decisions that are arbitrary or capricious, and providing new tools to ease establishing, starting and operating…
Egypt’s economic fundamentals are improving, and at 5.4% GDP growth it is the fastest growing country in the region

Egypt is the regions fifth-largest economy and increasingly on the global investment map. According to the International Monetary Fund Egypt was the third largest economy in Africa with a GDP of EUR 208 682 million in 2017 after Nigeria’s EUR 331 061 million and South Africa at EUR 304 642 million. Egypt’s economic fundamentals in…
Egypt’s evolving socio-economic dynamics evolve amongst social and religious frictions

Historically, the Arab Republic of Egypt has been fundamental to the development of the Middle East and North Africa. To this day, Egyptian political thought and cultural influence echoes throughout MENA. Egypt remains an influential actor in the region, pushing towards the path of further economic and political stability. History: It is impossible to…
Egypt EU Trade relations improving

The European Union remains Egypt’s largest investors Three-quarters of foreign direct investment come from EU states, and trade represents a third of the country’s GDP. The has been constant EU assistance and partnership programs since 1998, which established stable relations between Egypt and the EU. The Association Agreement was the most effective agreement when it…
Interview: Osama Bishai, Chief Executive Officer, Orascom Construction

Orascom Construction is a leading global engineering and construction contractor primarily focused on infrastructure, industrial and high-end commercial projects in the Middle East, North Africa, the United States, and the Pacific Rim for public and private clients. The Group also develops and invests in infrastructure opportunities. What is your outlook for Egypt’s economy? We see incredibly…
Interview: Prof Ismail Abdel Ghaffar Ismail, President, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASMT)

The Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport is a regional university operated by the Arab League which runs programs in marine transportation, business, engineering and is quickly growing its curriculum to ensure recent graduates meet labor market requirements. Established in 1972, the multi-purpose & multi-task institution specialized on offering its services to Arab…
Interview: Albert Gress, Country Manager Egypt, SDX Energy

SDX Energy is a North Africa focused international E&P business with high margin producing assets and a transformational exploration upside. It engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas primarily in the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Kingdom of Morocco. Net production: 3,237 boe/d, 2P reserves: 13.5 mmboe. The company is cash flow…