Working Paper No. 61
Egyptian Industry since the Early 1970s: A History of Thwarted Development
March 2008 - Hélène Djoufelkit-Cottenet, AFD
Throughout the 20th century, industrialisation was a central political theme and an economic development objective in Egypt. The scale of the challenge led the Egyptian government to pursue active industrialisation policies. The political will to promote industry in Egypt has thus been affirmed for many years, under a variety of strategies. To what extent has Egypt’s industrial performance matched the effort invested? Has not the country’s political commitment to industrialisation run afoul of economic reality? This paper attempts to answer these questions, focusing on the period from 1970 to the present.