Strategic gateways: Shaping the new global economy

March 2026

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Selected Interviews

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Ghana

Ghana is leveraging diplomacy to achieve something more tangible than protocol, using foreign policy to pull in capital, open markets and strengthen confidence.

Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts

Ghana’s pitch to investors is becoming more defined and more ambitious. Beyond heritage tourism, the government is making a broader case for investment across hospitality, training, waterfront development and the creative economy, while also tying that agenda to pan-African identity and diaspora engagement.

Dr Hassan El Kalla, CIRA Education

CIRA Education is Egypt’s largest integrated education services provider, operating 30 schools and owning three universities, Badr University in Cairo, Badr University in Assiut and Saxony Egypt University.

Abdallah Sallam, Madinet Masr

Madinet Masr is leading an ambitious transformation in Egypt’s real estate landscape. Founded in 1959, the company later acquired Minka Real Estate Investment, the business created by current President and CEO Abdallah Sallam.

Kwaku Osei Sarpong, CIPA Holdings

A Pan-African climate-resilient infrastructure group anchored in Ghana, CIPA Holdings Group integrates project development, structured finance and EPC execution across clean energy, integrated electromobility systems, digital infrastructure, climate-smart real estate and public infrastructure.

Raymond Adiepena, The Seabird Group Limited

The Seabird Group Limited Scales West Africa’s Maritime Platform. Built from a maritime services base, The Seabird Ghana Limited has evolved into a group with seven subsidiaries.

Mohamed Amer, El Gouna Red Sea

El Gouna Red Sea is sharpening its position as a fully integrated coastal town, combining real estate, hospitality, placemaking and town management under a long-term community model.

Ramesh Sadhwani, Melcom

From a family-run retailer to one of Ghana’s most diversified commercial platforms, Melcom has steadily expanded across logistics, manufacturing, hospitality and omni-channel retail.

Mohamed Younes, Concord International Investments Group

Founded in the late 1980s New York, Concord International Investments Group began in wealth management, then rebuilt itself around Egypt’s reopened markets, research-led investing and governance-first discipline.

Philip Tieku, Star Oil

Under management's efforts to cut supply chain leakages, centralise operations and compete on price, the network has grown from 198 stations in 2020 to 254 today, with 2,700 employees and a model built on direct operation rather than franchising.

Tarek Adel, Iman Ibrahim Adel and Mohamed Ibrahim Adel, Egyptian Engineering Company

Founded in 1976, the Egyptian Engineering Company (EEC) has steadily expanded its footprint across Egypt and the Gulf.

Mohamed Aly, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank-Egypt

For three decades, EDECS has positioned itself around disciplined execution, engineering precision fand large-scale infrastructure projects designed to move people and goods more efficiently.

Hussein El Dessouky, EDECS

For three decades, EDECS has positioned itself around disciplined execution, engineering precision fand large-scale infrastructure projects designed to move people and goods more efficiently.

Mohamed Mahlab, Rowad Modern Engineering

Over more than two decades, Rowad Modern Engineering has grown from an Egypt-based contractor into a major turnkey player with projects spanning North Africa and the Gulf, driven by a consistent focus on quality, innovation and client trust.

Amr El Batrik, Orascom

Orascom Industrial Parks is pushing a multi-site expansion strategy as Egypt competes for export-oriented manufacturing, near-shoring and green industry investment.

Fadi Jundi, NOOR NOOR Data Network

In Egypt’s enterprise telecom market, NOOR Data Network has built its position by moving faster than larger rivals and tailoring solutions closely to client needs.
This report was published in partnership with Gulf News
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Report Overview

Abdallah Sallam, President and ceo, Madinet Masr

In this episode, President and CEO Abdallah Sallam outlines how a sixty-seven-year-old legacy developer was repositioned into a high-growth platform and the longer-term ambition to become a Global Five Hundred company.

Eng. Amr El Batrik, CEO, Orascom IP

In this episode, Amr El Batrik, CEO of Orascom Industrial Parks (Orascom IP), examines the group’s industrial pipeline, export-oriented zones, regulatory facilitation frameworks and the role of green hydrogen and eco-industrial standards in reshaping Egypt’s competitiveness for international capital.

Dr Hassan El Kalla, Founder and Chairman, CIRA Education

In this episode, Dr Hassan El Kalla explains how education and healthcare sit at the center of CIRA’s capital allocation and how Gulf partnerships are accelerating regional expansion.

Mohamed Aly, CEO and managing director, ADIB-Egypt

In this interview, Mohamed Aly discusses the development of Egypt’s sovereign Sukuk market, ADIB’s rapid financial growth, the bank’s role in channeling UAE capital into the country and its major investments in digital infrastructure.

Mohamed Amer, CEO, El Gouna, Red Sea

This episode examines El Gouna’s mixed-use development model, its investor proposition anchored in currency risk mitigation, the role of UAE capital flows and how infrastructure expansion in business parks, marinas and branded residences supports long-term asset value accretion.

Eng. Mohamed Mahlab, CEO, Rowad Modern Engineering

Here, the CEO of Rowad Modern Engineering outlines how the company’s long-standing relationships with Emirati clients paved the way for its UAE market entry and explains how the company is positioning itself within national infrastructure and energy pipelines through partnerships with global engineering groups.

Philip Tieku, Chief Executive Officer, Star Oil

In this episode, Philip Tieku, CEO of Star Oil, examines how operational discipline, digital infrastructure and downstream integration are reshaping capital deployment and partnership opportunities in Ghana’s fuel retail market.

Kwaku Osei Sarpong, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Cipa Holdings

In this interview, Kwaku Osei Sarpong explores the founding purpose of CIPA Holdings, the company’s pan-African expansion, evolving climate finance models and the growing opportunities for Gulf investors.

Ramesh Sadhwani, Managing Director, Melcom

In this interview, Ramesh Sadwani discusses how he has led the group as managing director since 1997, overseeing its expansion from a small family business into a nationwide retail and industrial platform.