Egyptian finance minister meets Ivorian budget minister

Finance Minister Hany Qadry met Wednesday with Abdourahmane Cisse, the Minister in Charge of the Budget of Côte d'Ivoire, to discuss means of boosting bilateral cooperation.

Qadry posted Cisse on economic reforms in Egypt and challenges the Arab country is facing. The Egyptian government is exerting utmost efforts to counter those challenges Qadry told Cisse.

The Ivorian minister said his country would like to benefit from Egypt's know how, where the Public- Private Partnership (PPP) system is concerned. Cisse said Côte d'Ivoire can very well issue a PPP law similar to Egypt's.

Qadry said Egypt is willing to share its expertise with the African country and agreed to send a number of Egyptian experts to Yamoussoukro.

Qadry also reviewed Cairo's efforts to create an investment-friendly climate to be able to lure more local and foreign investments.

They also talked about the doubling of the waterway of the Suez Canal and the digging of the New Suez Canal, with Qadry pointing out that it is a long-term development project.

He told Cisse that projects on both banks of the Canal will be implemented under the economic zone system.

Egypt has recently made amendments to its law on economic zones that included relaxed measures to attract businessmen and eliminate bureaucracy, the finance minister made it clear.

Qadry and Cisse also agreed to study the inking of a deal to prevent dual taxation between their countries.