Egypt’s Richest Man Nassef Sawiris Plans $50bn Investment In US Infrastructure

Egypt’s wealthiest man, Nassef Sawiris, is preparing a dramatic reshaping of his business empire, with plans to channel up to $50 billion into US infrastructure projects while consolidating his publicly traded companies in Abu Dhabi.

Sawiris, who also owns English Premier League side Aston Villa, is close to finalising the breakup of his Dutch-listed chemicals and fertiliser group, OCI Global. The group has offloaded more than $11.6 billion in assets over the past two years, paving the way for a merger with his family’s flagship firm, Orascom Construction. The newly combined company will be listed in Abu Dhabi, marking a significant geographical and strategic shift for the billionaire, who recently relocated to the emirate and Italy after exiting the UK amid unfavourable tax changes.

The restructured business will prioritise infrastructure opportunities in the US, including data centres and other high-demand sectors. Orascom plans to invest both its own capital and funds from partners through equity and credit structures, leveraging its long track record in construction and project management. With more than $1 billion in cash and proceeds from recent divestments, the company is positioned to benefit from Washington’s renewed infrastructure spending push.

“We want to focus the next stage of our business on the area we see the biggest opportunity, which is infrastructure,” Sawiris told the Financial Times. He added that construction-led companies like France’s Vinci and Spain’s Ferrovial consistently outperform private equity-backed rivals that rely heavily on financial modelling.

Orascom already has a foothold in the US through its subsidiary Weitz, acquired in 2012, which has delivered projects ranging from data centres to airport terminals and university housing. Sawiris, who Forbes estimates is worth nearly $9 billion, is the youngest son of Onsi Sawiris, founder of the Orascom empire in the 1950s.

The move marks the latest in a series of bold pivots by Sawiris, who previously led Orascom’s cement business before selling it to France’s Lafarge in 2007 for more than €10 billion. Since then, his focus shifted to chemicals through OCI, which sold its global methanol business to US producer Methanex for about $2 billion in 2024.

Between Orascom’s listing in 1999 and the end of 2024, Orascom and OCI generated a combined internal rate of return of more than 39 percent and distributed over $22 billion in dividends, according to a KPMG audit. Sawiris’ consolidation and US-focused strategy underscores his bet that infrastructure—rather than private equity-style investments—will deliver long-term growth.

Melissa Enoch

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