Egypt plans to roll out a digital portal for mining investment opportunities in the first half of 2026, allowing investors to browse available concession areas and complete applications, licensing, and contracting fully online.
The platform will be introduced by the Mineral Resources and Mining Industries Authority as part of a wider push to modernise the country’s mining sector and make investment procedures faster and more transparent.
Alongside the new portal, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources is updating the rules that govern how mining areas are offered to investors.
A central shift is the adoption of an open door licensing model, under which areas remain continuously available to qualified investors without a competitive bidding round, as long as they meet technical and financial requirements.
To reduce delays and simplify approvals, the government is also implementing a one stop shop mechanism through representation of relevant authorities on the Mineral Resources Authority’s board. The stated goal is to cut administrative friction and shorten timelines from application to execution.
Incentives and financing focus, especially for smaller players
Officials say the revised framework includes incentives aimed at start ups and small and medium sized enterprises, which the ministry views as important drivers of new gold exploration activity.
The plan also calls for offering larger, more suitable mining areas to improve project viability, while encouraging financial institutions to develop financing solutions tailored to mining investors.
To support investment decisions, Egypt is preparing a nationwide aerial geophysical survey intended to improve the quality of geological data and lower exploration risk.
The survey is expected to help estimate both the quantity and type of minerals available, including rare minerals, and to support development across mining as well as downstream industrial activity.
Mining is being framed as part of the energy sector, one of five priority sectors in Egypt’s new economic plan. The plan targets real GDP growth of 7 percent by 2030 and the creation of 1.5 million new jobs, with mining presented as a sector meant to contribute meaningfully to those goals.