Egypt's Minister of Industry and Transport Kamel El-Wazir inaugurated on Tuesday the 9th International Exhibition and Conference for Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, Thermal Insulation and Energy. El-Wazir expressed his delight at participating in the exhibition. He emphasised the importance of improving and expanding refrigeration and air conditioning components manufacturing locally instead of just assembling coolers and air conditioners, as per a Cabinet statement. The minister highlighted that refrigeration and air conditioning, like other industries, are energy-intensive which requires increasing the use of renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydropower to balance this consumption. The government is open to partnering with private firms to manufacture air conditioning units, aluminium components, railway equipment, and lifts, either independently or through collaboration with major global firms. El-Wazir added that the government aims to provide these companies with financial support, facilitate industrial land allocation, assist in factory design implementation, and ensure the availability of raw materials. These efforts align with the state's strategic goals of boosting local manufacturing, cutting imports, promoting industrial development, and enhancing Egypt's industrial standing by setting up large-scale factories in key sectors. The minister also proposed potential partnerships between private-sector firms and public-sector factories to increase the local content of refrigeration and air conditioning products to 70–80 per cent. The government seeks to attract foreign investment across various sectors; however, Egyptian private companies are often better positioned to achieve this by drawing global manufacturers to invest and produce locally in Egypt. Egypt is seeking partnerships with Turkey, China, the US, Europe, and Africa to enhance local manufacturing, citing the country's stability and security as key factors for industrial growth and investment, he added. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
