Equal Access and Simplified Environment for Investment (EASE) in Egypt

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The objective of the Equal Access and Simplified Environment for Investment (EASE) Project in Egypt is to improve the regulatory environment for investors through simplified licensing and transparent industrial land allocation processes. There are three components to the project. The first component being facilitating accessible and transparent investor services (GAFI). The project aims to support GAFI to become the national platform facilitating business entry, licensing, and access to investor information at the sub-national level through its OSSs and GAFI Information Portal, particularly in light of its new mandate under the updated Investment Law. This component will support GAFI in developing the necessary implementation instruments and action plan to implement the new law which enables the authority to facilitate licensing and land allocation services through its OSSs. The second component is the supporting industrial sector transformational reforms (IDA). The project aims to support IDA in focusing on its strategic roles of regulation and transforming its approach to implement risk based regulation principles. This component will focus on the two primary functions of IDA - industrial licensing and industrial land allocation. IDA is currently engaged in mapping its industrial licensing processes in collaboration with ERRADA and with World Bank Group support. Finally, the third component is the capacity building for managing regulatory reforms (ERRADA). The Project aims to strengthen the capacity of the GoE regulatory reform program ERRADA. The project will focus on supporting ERRADA on cross-cutting reforms that target constraints affecting firms in all sectors of the economy. It will in particular focus on reforms that promote transparency and predictability of the regulatory environment. It will also support specific reforms in priority areas like industrial licensing and land allocation that complement components one and two.