REG IONAL F EFO ATU CU RE S on track, and Nazzal sees scope for expanding and marrying two strands of his business. Im planning to start a trucking business. We sell our boxes to people involved in agriculture, so now I can sell them logistics as well. Im starting to become a supply chain. When FIDI Focus spoke to Nazzal in 2019, he expressed frustration at how doing business in Egypt languished in the last century, but technology is finally starting to supplant fiddly paperwork. Government has set an example, albeit belatedly, and now makes e-payments through its portal. The old ways arent dead yet, says Nazzal, but Egyptians are full-on engaged with new technology and faster communications. Like many FIDI members, however, he worries about replacing valuable staff nearing the end of their career, and now looks to recruit simpler people from the suburbs rather than worldly city boys tempted by jobs in the digital world. Two years ago, he discovered an employment agency of which there are few in Egypt that helped fill vacancies at the packaging plant. It takes full responsibility vetting people and providing daily labour and it works perfectly. Removals have now returned to pre-pandemic levels, with a steady trade in corporates moving in and out. Such is Nazzals confidence in the future that he is now targeting expansion into the Gulf states, AGS Algeria focuses on domestic moves Alexandre de Beauregard, Branch Manager at AGS Algeria, says the local market for international removals is experiencing a challenging time. During 2020 and 2021, large numbers of non-diplomatic foreign residents left the country. This was the result of both COVID-19 and the Hirak protest movement, which led to the end of the presidency of Abdelaziz Bouteflika and the installation of Abdelmadjid Tebboune as President of the republic. These events are now things in the past and we do believe the country will return to normal over time, says de Beauregard, but in between, we have to adapt. This, he adds, is informing the companys commercial policy, including: Tightening our relationship to the diplomatic market in Algeria; and reclaiming our ITGBL status with the US embassy something our newly acquired FIDI status will help us a lot on. We also want to increase the number of domestic moves we make for Algerian citizens and Algerian companies. We have the know-how required in our company to provide these services and we are being asked more often to provide them, too. opening an office in Saudi Arabia, having already set up in the United Arab Emirates. Saudi has become quite a market the building and expansion is mindboggling and I want to be part of that, he says. Its the last place I thought Id end up, but the Saudis are very business friendly. They want investors. WE DELICATELY MOVE ART THAT CAPTIVATES EMOTIONS AND SENSATIONS. Carefully Respectfully Trustworthy 8% Classified as a low risk company by the EY Credit Risk Baromenter COLOMBIA 47