During His Participation in the World Investment Forum 2026 in Qatar

GAFI CEO Highlights the Role of Accurate Statistics  in Improving Investment Decision-Making

Dr. Mohamed Awad

• Reliable and accurate data are the cornerstone of effective investment policymaking and the ability to anticipate future trends.

Dr. Mohamed Awad, CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), participated, on behalf of Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade (MIFT Minister), in a seminar entitled “From Investment Statistics to Better Investment Decisions,” held on the sidelines of the World Investment Forum 2026 in Qatar.

The seminar was organized by the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), affiliated with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in cooperation with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

In his remarks at the seminar, Dr. Mohamed Awad emphasized that reliable and accurate data are the cornerstone of effective investment policymaking and the ability to anticipate future trends. He noted that governments’ ability to attract high-value-added investments aligned with national development plans is directly linked to the quality of available data.

GAFI CEO outlined Egypt’s experience in developing its foreign direct investment (FDI) statistics system, highlighting its direct impact on the country’s investment performance. Egypt successfully attracted approximately USD 12.2 billion in FDI during FY 2024/2025, maintaining its position as Africa’s largest FDI recipient for the fourth consecutive year. It also recorded net FDI inflows of approximately USD 18 billion in FY 2025/2026, representing a growth rate of 48%.

Dr. Mohamed Awad explained that Egypt’s strategy focuses on improving the quality and coverage of corporate data by updating records and identifying data gaps, in addition to fully digitizing financial reporting forms. The strategy also seeks to link investment statistics to their development impact in terms of job creation, export growth, and technology localization, while ensuring full transparency and compliance with international standards.

Dr. Mohamed Awad added that digital transformation is not merely intended to simplify procedures for investors; it also helps generate more accurate and reliable data, providing the foundation for more efficient and impactful economic decision-making.

Concluding his remarks, Dr. Mohamed Awad reaffirmed Egypt’s full readiness to share its technical and institutional expertise with OIC member states and support technical cooperation and joint training programs targeting least developed countries, thereby enhancing the quality of investment decision-making across the Islamic world.