Back to the complete issue
Thursday, 12 November 2020

Last Night’s Talk Shows on 12 November 2020

The nation’s talking heads continued saying the C-word on the airwaves last night, while the government’s plan to convert thousands of cars to run on natural gas also got a look-in.

Follow covid protocol or close, Saad tells shop owners: Cabinet spokesperson Nader Saad warned shop and mall owners that they will be forced to close for three days if they allow members of the public onto their premises without a face mask during an interview with Al Hayah Al Youm’s Mohamed Sherdy. Saad suggested that this is especially important now, given the public are about to descend on shops and malls around the country to take advantage of discounts season (watch, runtime: 6:49), Masaa DMC’s Ramy Radwan also had coverage (watch, runtime: 4:25).

New opening hours for shops, malls, restaurants and cafes will come into force on 1 December, Saad told Salat El Tahrir’s Azza Moustafa, adding that the government will announce the changes in a few days (watch, runtime: 13:24). We have our fingers crossed that the plan has gone through a few redrafts: the plan trial ballooned on the airwaves last week seems overly complex, and would force businesses to close at different times depending on the time of year, where in the country they’re based, and what services they provide.

Natgas auto conversion plans: Sherdy interviewed Abd El Fattah Farhat, the head of the Egyptian International Gas Technology Company (GASTEC), who said that the government plans to convert 264k cars to run on natural gas in the coming two years. This comes a few days after Oil Minister Tarek El Molla told the Adipec oil and gas conference that the country plans to have 590k cars running on natural gas by 2023. The government will expand its network of gas stations by two-thirds, establishing an additional 400 stations by 2023. Drivers with cars under 20 years’ old will not be forced to convert their vehicles, he said, adding that loan facilities are available to help people cover the EGP 5-7k cost of fitting a natgas engine. The government’s ambitious long-term plan aims to convert 1.8 mn vehicles to run on natural gas at a cost of EGP 320 bn (watch, runtime: 21:24).

Enterprise is a daily publication of Enterprise Ventures LLC, an Egyptian limited liability company (commercial register 83594), and a subsidiary of Inktank Communications. Summaries are intended for guidance only and are provided on an as-is basis; kindly refer to the source article in its original language prior to undertaking any action. Neither Enterprise Ventures nor its staff assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, whether in the form of summaries or analysis. © 2022 Enterprise Ventures LLC.

Enterprise is available without charge thanks to the generous support of HSBC Egypt (tax ID: 204-901-715), the leading corporate and retail lender in Egypt; EFG Hermes (tax ID: 200-178-385), the leading financial services corporation in frontier emerging markets; SODIC (tax ID: 212-168-002), a leading Egyptian real estate developer; SomaBay (tax ID: 204-903-300), our Red Sea holiday partner; Infinity (tax ID: 474-939-359), the ultimate way to power cities, industries, and homes directly from nature right here in Egypt; CIRA (tax ID: 200-069-608), the leading providers of K-12 and higher level education in Egypt; Orascom Construction (tax ID: 229-988-806), the leading construction and engineering company building infrastructure in Egypt and abroad; Moharram & Partners (tax ID: 616-112-459), the leading public policy and government affairs partner; Palm Hills Developments (tax ID: 432-737-014), a leading developer of commercial and residential properties; Mashreq (tax ID: 204-898-862), the MENA region’s leading homegrown personal and digital bank; Industrial Development Group (IDG) (tax ID:266-965-253), the leading builder of industrial parks in Egypt; Hassan Allam Properties (tax ID:  553-096-567), one of Egypt’s most prominent and leading builders; and Saleh, Barsoum & Abdel Aziz (tax ID: 220-002-827), the leading audit, tax and accounting firm in Egypt.