** #6 The government will announce in two weeks’ time the date of the first auction it will hold for the sale of unused state land, Public Enterprise Minister Hisham Tawfik said yesterday, according to a ministry press release (pdf). The move — which comes as part of state efforts to draw in funds necessary to reform public sector companies — will see the government sell over 10 mn sqm of state-owned land in 10 governorates in a public auction to real estate developers who are willing to put them to use, the minister said. Priority will be awarded to developers who can make cash payments or complete their installments within six years at most.

The draft SMEs Act is expected to be made public within a week. The draft law sets out incentives — mainly in the form of services and subsidized access to finance — for owners of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises to go legit and pay taxes.

The first annual Middle East Conference on Business Angel Investment will take place on Thursday, 1 November in El Gouna, according to a statement from the Middle East Angel Investment Network (MAIN). The conference will bring together angel investors, venture capitalists and others to discuss the latest trends in fintech, clean tech, health technology and transportation technology.

Egypt’s World Youth Forum 2018takes place in Sharm El Sheikh on Saturday, 3 November.