Egypt will roll out new financing schemes to revive idle factories, allocate millions of square metres of industrial land, and accelerate manufacturing projects as part of efforts to strengthen its industrial base, Industry Minister Kamel El-Wazir said Sunday. Speaking at a meeting with Alexandria Governor Ahmed Khaled and local investors, Minister El-Wazir said the government had already launched two initiatives to finance production lines and working capital, with a third programme planned to restructure distressed factories. Talks covered the status of Alexandria's industrial zones, including two approved areas spanning 6,315 feddans: the New Borg El Arab industrial zone (4,962 feddans) and the Alexandria General Free Zone (1,353 feddans). Officials also reviewed progress at the Small Industries Complex in Borg El Arab, which houses 410 units, and the Margham plastic industries complexes — Margham 1 (240 units), Margham 2 (204 units) and Margham 3, now under construction on 30 feddans. Updates were provided on land allocation, infrastructure readiness, unit handovers, and six unplanned industrial zones covering 6,920 feddans. More than 4.6 million square metres of serviced industrial land have been made available to investors through Egypt's industrial digital platform, Made in Egypt, including 1,658 plots offered in four phases, with another round due on Sept. 1, he added. The minister stressed that no new factories would be licensed in residential areas, urging investors to relocate operations to designated zones. Minister El-Wazir also called for wider use of private industrial developers to provide integrated services for manufacturers and suggested creating associations in each industrial zone to handle maintenance and utilities. He pledged to resolve administrative and technical obstacles facing businesses on the spot, while referring cases of financial distress to the government's new funding schemes. Governor Khaled said Alexandria is witnessing "unprecedented development" across infrastructure, industry and transport, aiming to position the city as a global hub for manufacturing and investment. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English
