By Elias Al Helou
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Egypt implements fuel price increases as part of IMF agreement

The country is taking steps to align fuel prices with international markets
Egypt implements fuel price increases as part of IMF agreement
Record inflation prompts Egypt to raise fuel prices in reform effort

Egypt raised prices on a wide range of fuel products on Friday, the official gazette said, pressing ahead with a promise it made to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) more than a year ago as part of a $3 billion financial support agreement.

In a letter of intent signed in November 2022, Egypt said it would allow most fuel product prices to rise to bring domestic prices more in line with those in international energy markets.

It also promised to make up for a slowdown in such increases over the previous year. But it subsequently hiked prices only once, in March 2023.

Read more: Egypt’s Modern Gas to develop $533K subsidiary in Saudi Arabia

The IMF this month expanded the financial support agreement to $8 billion to help Egypt overcome shocks to its economy caused by war in Gaza and after the government renewed its commitment to the reform measures, including a sharp devaluation of the currency. The IMF board has not yet met to approve the new agreement.

The official gazette, citing the petroleum ministry, said a quarterly pricing committee raised petrol prices on Friday by 1.00 Egyptian pound ($0.02) per liter, with 80 octane rising to 11.00 pounds, 92 octane to 12.50 pounds and 95 octane to 13.50 pounds.

The pricing committee raised the price of diesel to 10.00 pounds from 8.25 pounds and the price of butane cooking gas to 100 pounds per cylinder from 75 pounds, according to the gazette, a newspaper dedicated to government decisions and announcements.

The committee also set the price of fuel oil at 7,500 pounds per ton but left prices unchanged at 1,500 pounds per ton for food industries and at 2,500 pounds per ton for power plants.

Inflation reached record levels in 2023, with prices rising by 33.7 percent.

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