Egypt: 83 businesses must now seek security approval before opening 

The Egyptian government has said that anyone who wants to open a new business, including a supermarket or a hairdresser, will need the approval of the security apparatus.

According to the decree, 83 commercial activities now require such an approval but shops, venues and clubs belonging to the army are exempt.

Also on the list are shoe repair shops, cafes, gaming shops, shops selling electrical devices, wedding decorations, music and recording studios.

الأنشطة التجارية اللي محتاجة موافقة أمنية … كوريا الشمالية رسمي

وقال كنتم بتشتموا انجلترا امبارح، ده الاحتلال البريطاني لما اعلن الاحكام العرفية معملهاش! pic.twitter.com/ZbZ25lkhoJ

— Amr Bakly عمرو بقلي 🇺🇦 (@ABakly) December 11, 2022

It’s official, we now live in North Korea… Even when the British declared martial law here, they did not do this.

Egypt is going through a severe economic crisis with external debt and internal public debt soaring.

The military dominates certain economic sectors, which reduces the number of opportunities in the country. This decree could make matters much worse.

The war in Ukraine has further compounded Egypt’s economic crisis. As the world’s largest wheat importer, Egypt relies on Russia and Ukraine for 80 per cent of its grain.

The war has also meant Russian and Ukrainian tourists are not visiting Egypt, some of the highest number of visitors and one of the biggest sources of revenue for the country before the conflict.

The decree has been published at the same time that the government has implemented a new law for shops under which shop owners must pay $4,000 to licence shops with failure to do so resulting in prison and fines.

In 2020, as the global pandemic took hold, businesses shut and Egypt’s unemployment rose to a two-year high.

معقول في ظل الركود ده ؟ https://t.co/RYwBbCVJv8

— احزان الشتاء (@Nakhlamichaell) December 11, 2022

Is this a reasonable decision considering the recession?

READ: Egypt pound hits record low amid calls to fully liberalise exchange rate