The Transport Ministry is in talks with Orascom Construction, Samcrete and the Arab Contractors to overhaul and upgrade some 820 km of rail lines, a project that will cost around EGP 7.5 bn to complete, the local press reported, citing unnamed sources. The work will start in the next fiscal year, which begins on 1 July.

Paris-based education group Open Sky International (OSI) is opening the doors to its first school in Cairo this September, with plans to set up another 10 of its schools in Egypt by 2025, according to a statement (pdf). OSI’s school will teach students in French and English, in addition to “teaching Arabic to a high standard.”

Other things we’re keeping an eye on this morning:

• The Egyptian Countryside Development Company and Spanish water management Aqualia Egypt signed an MoU to work together on water desalination plants and smart irrigation systems within the development company’s 1.5 mn feddan project.
• The Federation of Egyptian Industries is lobbying the Trade and Industry Ministry to reverse its decision to impose additional import duties on aluminum products for three years, saying the decision is negatively impacting Egyptian producers and driving up local prices.