R700m

is the price tag of a mall that has just opened in Egypt the contraction in non-oil business activity slowed for a third consecutive month in February, according to the Emirates NBD Purchasing Managers’ Index. Some producers expect sales to recover as early as 2018, while the government sees inflation peaking at the end of the first quarter.

Even during the years of political instability following the 2011 uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, high consumer demand made Egypt profitable for both foreign and domestic investors and companies. The country’s unofficial economy accounts for at least