Cairo looks to Egyptians abroad to boost economy
Nabila Makram, Egypt's minister of immigration and expatriate affairs, discusses her recent trip to Australia and New Zealand, where she sought to get Egyptian expatriates to invest in certificates that will help the Egyptian economy.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi named Ambassador Nabila Makram as head of the Ministry of Immigration and Expatriate Affairs in September 2015. This ministry had been shuttered decades ago, and until Makram’s appointment, immigration affairs were under the purview of the Ministry of Manpower. The revival of this ministry comes as part of Cairo’s plan to benefit from Egyptians living abroad and work with them to address their problems.
In an interview with Al-Monitor, Makram spoke about how the ministry will use the Central Bank’s recent decision to unify the Egyptian pound-US dollar exchange rate to encourage Egyptians abroad to invest in their homeland. She also spoke about her most recent trip abroad and immigration legislation.
The text of the interview follows:
Al-Monitor: Can the Ministry of Immigration take advantage of Cairo’s decision earlier this month to float the Egyptian pound to encourage Egyptians abroad to remit money through Egyptian banks?
