CAIRO: Egyptian construction and engineering group Hassan Allam said on Monday that it would float up to 44.3 percent of its shares on the Egyptian Exchange and the London Stock Exchange.
The company said it intended to use the proceeds to develop solar assets, fund its water platform, acquire a specialty engineering company, and support continued growth in construction and building materials businesses.
Hassan Allam is a general contractor operating in Egypt, where it employs more than 34,000 people, and through subsidiaries in Saudi Arabia and Algeria, according to an announcement of the sale on the company’s website.
It did not give a date or pricing information for the share offer.
Renaissance Capital and EFG Hermes will be joint global coordinators for the sale, and together with Arqaam Capital will also act as joint bookrunners, the company said.
It said the selling shareholders were the Hassan Allam family, which collectively owns an 86.2 percent stake in the company, as well as the International Finance Corporation, which owns a 13.8 percent stake.
The announcement of the sale comes amid a surge of private and public offerings that will test investor appetite in Egypt at a time of emerging market turbulence.
Egypt’s Hassan Allam plans to list shares in Cairo, London
Egypt’s Hassan Allam plans to list shares in Cairo, London
- Hassan Allam is a general contractor operating in Egypt, where it employs more than 34,000 people
- It did not give a date or pricing information for the share offer
Free trade negotiations between GCC, India mark new phase of partnership, says sec-gen
RIYADH: The Gulf Cooperation Council’s secretary-general affirmed that the negotiations for a free trade agreement between the GCC and India, and the signing of the joint statement, represents a new phase of strategic partnership.
Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi said that this contributes to enhancing close cooperation and strengthening economic and trade ties, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
This came during the signing ceremony of the joint statement on launching the free trade agreement negotiations between the Al-Budaiwi and India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, which took place in New Delhi, on Tuesday.
During the signing ceremony, Al-Budaiwi said that the Terms of Reference, signed on Feb. 5, provide a comprehensive and clear framework for these negotiations. The two nations agreed to discuss enhancing cooperation in vital strategic areas, including trade in goods, customs procedures, and services.
Additionally, the framework covers Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures, intellectual property rights, cooperation on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, along with other topics of mutual interest. This reflects the comprehensive nature of the agreement and its ability to keep pace with the future economy.
Al-Budaiwi expressed hope that these negotiations would lead to a comprehensive and ambitious free trade agreement that works to remove customs and non-customs barriers, enhance the flow of quality investments in both directions, and achieve further liberalization in trade and investment cooperation between the GCC and India for mutual benefit.
This would provide a stimulating economic environment and an investment climate that opens broad horizons for the business sector, supports supply chains, and accelerates the pace of economic growth in line with the ambitious developmental visions of the GCC states.
The top official affirmed the full readiness of the General Secretariat to host the first round of negotiations at its headquarters in Riyadh during the second half of this year.
The two sides held a meeting during which they reviewed the existing cooperation relations between the GCC and India and discussed ways to develop and elevate them to broader horizons, serving mutual interests and enhancing opportunities for strategic partnership between the two sides, particularly in the economic, investment, and trade fields.
They praised the role undertaken by the negotiating teams from both sides, appreciating the efforts contributing to reaching a comprehensive agreement that enhances economic integration and supports the smooth flow of trade between the two nations.
