President Abdel Fattah El Sisi met on Monday with Chairman of the Arab Organisation for Industrialisation (AOI) Major General Mokhtar Abdel Latif to review the organisation's projects and activities across various sectors. Abdel Latif outlined AOI's comprehensive strategy focused on deepening local manufacturing, boosting exports, and enhancing technological and industrial capabilities. He also highlighted efforts to partner with the private sector to launch joint ventures leveraging the organisation's advanced industrial capacities. President Sisi underlined the importance of AOI's role in supporting national industries, particularly in increasing local production and exports. He stressed that such efforts help reduce import costs and secure foreign currency, bolstering Egypt's economy. The president was also briefed on cooperation frameworks between AOI and major international automotive firms. During the meeting, he inspected several locally assembled Citroën C4X vehicles, which are manufactured with a 45 per cent local component ratio at AOI's factories. The production is a partnership with the Arab American Vehicles (AAV) and France's Stellantis Group. Abdel Latif said that planning for the Citroën C4X began in August 2023, with technical and logistical preparations leading to the first prototypes in March 2025. The plan targets producing 7,000 vehicles annually over four years, for a total of 28,000 cars. He added that preparations are under way for a new vehicle model to be exclusively manufactured by AOI in collaboration with Stellantis. Production is scheduled to begin in late 2026, with a total of 240,000 units, which will not be produced at any other Stellantis facility worldwide. The official spokesperson said President Sisi instructed continued cooperation with private sector firms, locally and internationally, to support the state's strategy to localise the automotive industry, increase local content, and expand exports of Egypt-made products. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
