Egypt entrepreneurs fear for future

As politicians and economists start drawing up plans to bring Egypt's economy back from the brink, the country's small business owners say they are unlikely to reap benefits any time soon.

The election of a new president, Mohammed Morsi,has put the country on a firmer footing on the path to establishing civil democratic rule.

But changes to the cabinet and delays on rewriting the constitution have kept the economic situation uncertain.

On the streets of Cairo, vendors and small business owners say they are facing an uphill struggle to make ends meet as prices of food and commodities increase. The worry is that the benefits will not trickle down to the neediest.

Tarek Fattouh, 47, has been in the tent-making business for 35 years, working near the Khan El Khalili market, a tourist hotspot. He says before the revolution that removed Hosni Mubarak last year he had five times more customers than today - now he has four or five a week, compared with 15 to 20 before the revolution.