Hassan Abdel Aziz, chairman of the African Federation for Construction Contractors' Association (AFCCA), said the Eighth Edition of Builders of Egypt will be shortly followed by witnessing several Egyptian contracting companies entering the Saudi market soon. In an exclusive interview with Amwal Al Ghad English on Sunday, Abdel Aziz stressed that Builders of Egypt Forum and AFCCA are tirelessly working on promoting the exportation of the Egyptian construction industry regionally. "Choosing Saudi Arabia as the guest of honour of this year's edition of Builders of Egypt and the participation of the Saudi Contractors Authority (SCA) will indeed help witness bolstering bilateral economic relations between the two countries and promoting the Egyptian contracting companies' successful portfolios in giant infrastructure and reconstruction projects in Africa and the Arab world." Abdel Aziz further said. Saudi Arabia has trillions of business opportunities that Egyptian contracting companies can work on, he added. The AFCCA official also said that Egyptian construction companies had signed contracts in Africa worth more than $2 billion over the past 18 months and that the coming period will see a new opportunity for the Egyptian companies to enter the Saudi market. The total value of the contracts signed by Egyptian companies to contribute to Libya's reconstruction has reached $15 billion, and Hassan Allam Holding Company has been among the three or four companies that signed these contracts. However, Abdel Aziz further said the number of Egyptian construction companies in Iraq is below expectations, as there are only between eight and ten companies working in Iraqi projects, adding, "We aim that this figure will increase soon." He further explained that this will help better promote the exportation of Egyptian building materials and contracting industries, a move that shall help become one of Egypt's sources of foreign currency. Most of the Egyptian contracting companies that exist in Sudan have witnessed severe losses due to the ongoing unfortunate tensions in the country, Abdel Aziz mentioned, revealing that Nasr General Contracting Company is one of these affected firms. Abdel Aziz concluded that during the past year and a half "we have helped Egyptian companies awarded many projects in African countries, including infrastructure projects such as seawater desalination plants, sewage treatment, solar energy, and irrigation." The Eighth Edition of Builders of Egypt Forum has honoured three key construction industry leaders for their outstanding efforts to revive the sector in the region and AFCCA's Abdel Aziz was among the honorees. It is worth mentioning that Abdel Azizi has participated in the "Strategic Industries ... A Transition to More Sustainable Business Environment" panel during Builders of Egypt Forum. The session shed light on the key partners engaged in contracting industries, i.e., building materials, engineering consultancy, management of projects, and areas of transition to sustainable development. It also showcased Egypt's distinguished experience in leading giant transport projects and localising the electric train industry.
