AGRICULTURE-

Yearslong negotiations to export produce to Manila bear fruit: Egypt will start to export agricultural products to the Philippines after reaching an agreement with Manila following more than five years of negotiations, Agriculture Minister El Sayed El Quseir said Friday. Egyptian citrus fruits will be exported for the first time during the current season.

INFRASTRUCTURE-

New Mansoura, phase one: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Thursday inaugurated the first phase of New Mansoura City on the Mediterranean coast in Dakahlia governorate, Ittihadiya said in a statement. The new city has been in the works since 2017, when the cabinet first approved the project. New Mansoura is one of a number of smart city projects being built by the government, including the new administrative capital, New Alamein, El Gallala, and New Sphinx.

LEGISLATION-

Some MPs want the self-employed to be exempt from e-invoicing: Several MPs have called on the government to exempt self-employed professionals from having to submit e-invoices, suggesting that the move is out of step with the constitution. The lawmakers are demanding an urgent meeting with Finance Minister Mohamed Maait to discuss what they described as the “negative impact” of e-invoicing on the self-employed. The move comes in the wake of a protest by tens of lawyers in front of the Lawyers Syndicate against the mandatory registration on the e-invoicing system.

REMEMBER– The Tax Authority is requiring self-employed professionals, including doctors, engineers, lawyers and artists to register on the system by 15 December.

MANUFACTURING–

The biggest sock factory in MENA? Port Said Governorate signed an agreement with a Chinese investor to establish a sock factory with investments of USD 37 mn, Governor Adel Al Ghadban said in a statement. The factory will be the biggest of its kind in the region and generate some 1k job opportunities, he said.

RETAIL-

More from Circle K: Convenience store Circle K plans to invest EGP 200 mn to open 50 new branches in Egypt in 2023, Al Borsa reported, citing statements by the group’s franchise manager Amira Zakaria. Circle K currently has 130 branches nationwide, with around 65% of the branches being franchises, Zakaria said.

TRANSPORT-

The military is making electric buses for the BRT: The National Authority for Military Production will produce 100 electric buses for the Cairo Ring Road bus rapid transit (BRT) system under a EGP 680 mn contract, the Transport Ministry said yesterday. The BRT system, which is set to be operational in January, will provide an alternative means of transportation on the Ring Road and is aimed at reducing traffic on the congested freeway.