Military role in economy to diminish within 2-3 year

The army’s role in the economy will diminish within two to three years, Egypt’s PM Sherif Ismail said on Monday.

In an exclusive interview with Egyptian privately-owned channel CBC’s Lamees El-Hadidi, Ismail said that the army maintains a role in managing national projects, stressing that the actual work is usually executed by private sector companies.

“The army executes some projects, but the government benefits from the armed forces’ role in administering projects,” Ismail said.

El-Hadidi said that her questions came from private companies who feel unfair competition, due to the army’s role in projects, to which Ismail replied that most projects were conducted by private firms.

“Isn’t the army’s sector a part of the state? And isn’t the government a part of the state? Today, there are certain projects that the state should be involved in along with the private sector. A state’s role is needed in some economic projects to ensure a balance and secure the market,” he added.

He said this does not mean that he’s telling the private sector not to bid for, or execute projects.

“But in this stage the state should still have a role. The armed forces are a part of the state and we have to deal with it this way,” Ismail said.