Egypt is set to overhaul the technical and administrative structure supporting utility services in industrial zones, as part of a broader push to enhance the investment climate and improve land management efficiency, the Cabinet said on Monday. The decision was made during the latest meeting of the Ministerial Group for Industrial Development, chaired by Kamel El-Wazir, Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport. El-Wazir stressed the need to reorganise the framework overseeing the provision of infrastructure services to ensure sustainability and service quality across industrial areas, according to the Cabinet's statement. The group approved the formation of a joint technical committee comprising representatives from the ministries of industry, planning, finance, housing, and local development, along with the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI). The committee will study the restructuring of the industrial utilities support fund and assess how to provide infrastructure for unserviced industrial zones, focusing on administrative, financial, and technical reform. In parallel, the meeting reviewed proposed policies aimed at ensuring the sustainability of natural gas supplies to the industrial sector amid rising energy costs and operational challenges faced by manufacturers. Participants highlighted the need to reschedule factories' outstanding debts to the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources using flexible mechanisms that safeguard state interests while supporting ongoing production. The meeting also reviewed recent efforts by the petroleum ministry to secure gas supply through increased domestic production and the deployment of regasification vessels, ensuring continued operations in factories and maintaining industrial output. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
