Egypt has granted four ​state-owned companies preliminary ⁠listings as part of the ‌government's privatisation programme, the cabinet said on Sunday.

Three ​are from the petroleum sector — Engineering for Petroleum ​and Chemical Industries (ENPPI), ​Egyptian Linear Alkyl Benzene Company (ELAB) and Petroleum Marine Services — while the fourth ⁠is Maamoura for Reconstruction and Tourism Development.

The preliminary listings are a prelude to offering stakes in the companies ​on ‌the stock exchange.

The ⁠three ⁠petroleum sector companies' capital totals $687 million, a separate petroleum ​ministry statement said.

Egypt ‌has previously announced plans ⁠to list 30 companies on the country's stock exchange as part of a divestment programme agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Investment Minister Mohamed Farid Saleh has said that four state-owned companies are expected to be listed ‌before May 2027 and that the government had ⁠achieved or even surpassed ​targets for the IMF programme, such as the country's fiscal deficit and primary ​surplus.

(Reporting by ‌Momen Saeed Atallah Writing by ⁠Tala Ramadan Editing by ​Andrew Heavens and David Goodman)