Egypt’s wealthiest man, Nassef Sawiris, is planning a significant restructuring of his business empire, with a focus on investing up to $50 billion in United States infrastructure projects.

Sawiris, who also owns English Premier League side Aston Villa, is close to finalizing the breakup of his Dutch-listed chemicals and fertilizer group, OCI Global.

The group has offloaded over $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. Sawiris explained that the restructured business will prioritize infrastructure opportunities in the US, including data centers and other high-demand sectors.

“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.

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 over $1 billion in cash and proceeds from recent divestments, the company is positioned to benefit from Washington’s renewed infrastructure spending push.

Sawiris noted that construction-led companies like France’s Vinci and Spain’s Ferrovial consistently outperform private equity-backed rivals that rely heavily on financial modeling.

Orascom already has a foothold in the US through its subsidiary Weitz, acquired in 2012, which has delivered projects ranging from data centers to airport terminals and university housing. Sawiris’ consolidation and US-focused strategy underscores his bet that infrastructure will deliver long-term growth.

Between Orascom’s listing in 1999 and the end of 2024, Orascom and OCI generated a combined internal rate of return of over 39% and distributed over $22 billion in dividends, according to a KPMG audit.