Press Release
Finance Minister at Techne Cairo 2026: Our Role Is to “Facilitate, Facilitate, and Facilitate” for Youth and Startups
“We have an open mindset and an extended hand of support to the business community… We are keen to listen to new ideas and challenges”
“We are working to create the right environment, provide support, and channel funding where it is most needed… to empower innovative ideas”
“We are continuously upgrading tax and customs systems… to make them more efficient and better able to deliver”
“1.2 million citizens created accounts on the real estate tax mobile app in just 70 days… with 1.8 million property units registered”
“Digitalisation helps us improve services… and increase revenues without imposing additional burdens”
Ahmed Kouchouk, Minister of Finance, affirmed that the Ministry’s role is centered on supporting the economy and making it easier for young people, innovators, and startups to turn their ideas into reality. He noted that the government is working to foster a more supportive environment for innovation and investment by simplifying procedures, providing support, and channeling funding to the right areas, helping promising ideas develop into scalable businesses.
Speaking at Techne Cairo 2026 at Granada Palace on Saturday, during a session entitled “From Support to Scale: Financing Egypt’s Next Generation of Innovation,” the Minister said: “Our role is to facilitate, facilitate, and facilitate.” He stressed the importance of coordinated efforts across government ministries to make it easier for young people with innovative and ambitious ideas to access appropriate financing and mitigate the risks facing their businesses.
“I am always keen to meet with startups, listen to their ideas, and understand the challenges they face,” Kouchouk said. He noted that he regularly encounters new talent, whether within the Ministry of Finance, the Egyptian Tax Authority, or private companies, and is keen to hear their ideas and explore how they can be translated into tangible results on the ground.
The Minister explained that the Ministry of Finance has an important role to play in supporting different sectors and helping people with new ideas put them into practice. “You are our partners. We have an open mindset and an extended hand of support to the business community,” he said, stressing that the business community is a key driver of investment and economic growth.
Kouchouk added that the Ministry is working to create the right environment for startups, introduce facilitation measures, provide support, and channel funding to the right areas, helping innovative ideas and promising businesses grow and scale up.
He explained that another key role of the Ministry is the continuous development and modernisation of tax, customs, and other systems under its remit, making them more efficient and better equipped to perform their functions. The Ministry, he added, is focused on facilitation through policies, procedures, digital applications, and simplified tax regimes.
“We are looking for sustainable solutions, not temporary ones. This is what we are working on, and we are making improvements every day,” Kouchouk said, stressing that digital transformation is not an end in itself, but rather a means of providing citizens and the business community with faster, easier, and better services.
The Minister cited the real estate tax mobile application as a practical example. “For the first time, we launched a mobile application for real estate tax. In just 70 days, 1.2 million citizens created accounts on the app, and 1.8 million property units were registered,” he said.
Kouchouk noted that achieving such results at this pace would have been extremely difficult under conventional procedures, adding: “We are digitalising to improve services for citizens.”
He pointed out that better services and simplified procedures have also contributed to higher revenues. “We did not impose any additional financial burdens, yet revenues increased. We will continue to improve and develop,” he said.
Kouchouk expressed his pleasure at participating in Techne Cairo 2026 and his pride in the achievements, talent, energy, and fresh ideas he saw at the summit. He reaffirmed the Ministry of Finance’s commitment to listening to young innovators and working with them to create an enabling environment for innovation and investment, helping turn promising ideas into real opportunities for growth.
- minister of finance
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