Cairo Economy

Courtesy and hospitality are as important in business dealings as they are in Egyptian life generally and, indeed, as they are throughout the Arab world. The host of a business meeting should be sure to offer guests tea or a small snack before commencing the meeting proper. It is considered polite to refuse the first offer but the host must insist and then it would be impolite for the guest to refuse on the second or third invitation to have something.

Alcohol should be avoided until visitors are certain of their Egyptian colleague's attitude towards it. Even when drinking with Egyptians, visitors should only ever partake in moderation. This especially applies to women, for whom it is not considered seemly to over-indulge in alcohol.

Egyptians are very hospitable. If invited to a business lunch, the table will probably groan with food and visitors must do their best to enjoy as much of it as possible. It is always better to claim an allergy to a particular kind of dish than to express distaste.

Throughout the Arab world, it is considered the height of bad manners either to display anger or to openly criticise another person in public. Tact and diplomacy will be required to conduct business meetings and much will be gained by a close observation of the way Cairo businesspeople operate. Instead of criticising or contradicting someone, visitors should instead ask if they think a different way of doing something might be better.

In social life, it is considered impolite to turn up for a rendezvous at precisely the agreed time. Everyone is always a little late. This is less true in the business world but does still happen. No one minds foreigners being on time but Egyptians certainly exercise the right to be late and visitors should be prepared for this and not take offence.

In this Muslim country, men should not offer to shake a woman's hand, nor women offer to shake a man's hand, unless they are clearly invited to do so. Men and women should dress smartly for business meetings and always dress modestly.

Government offices are open 0830-1330 except Fridays and sometimes Saturdays. Business hours for the private sector are generally around 0900-1400 in winter; some open again in the evening from around 1700-2000. Muslim businesses may be closed for an hour and a half during Friday prayers, Christian businesses on Saturday afternoons and Sundays. All offices keep shorter hours during the month of Ramadan.