CAIRO: Experts convening at the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) agreed that investing in the freight sector is key to boosting Egypt's economy in a conference held in Cairo. In a country whose ports allow around 90 percent of foreign trade through and where the Suez Canal sees around 15 percent of global trade traffic, freight is seen as a key sector of the Egyptian economy. FIATA chose Cairo to host its 20th World Congress meetings from Oct. 16–21. "Our choice was set on Cairo two years ago. After all that happened in Egypt, we were pressured to change the location but we insisted on doing it here," explained Jean-Claude Delen, president of FIATA. Nearly 550 companies participated in the various conferences and meetings which took place in the JW Marriott. "With the revolution and new visa regulations, we were afraid people would cancel on us. But it did not happen and we welcomed more companies than expected," said Tarek El-Banna, one of the organizers. The congress was officially inaugurated last week, after two days of bilateral meetings and golf tournaments, offering a great opportunity for foreign companies and investors to get to know Egyptian organizations. Because it is hosting the event for the first time, Egypt was the center of attention, with two presentations made by Mobinil and Egypt Air. Many speakers also stressed on the fact that boosting the Egyptian freight sector will only come with better communication and wider cooperation between public and private sectors. A reality that was acknowledged by Minister of Foreign Trade and Industry, Mahmoud Eissa, speaking oh behalf of Prime Minister Essam Sharaf. Eissa said the government will keep investing in the transportation and freight sectors, whose development would have very positive impact on the Egyptian economy. Eissa also pointed out that Egypt, in cooperation with the European Union and the World Bank, will finance many infrastructure projects such as the construction of new roads and the development of the country's airport network. The country has 15 commercial seaports controlled by four port authorities, as well as 53 specialized seaports, three of which are still under construction. The Air Cargo Airport, located in the capital, currently has five cargo terminals, which facilitates up to 400,000 tons of cargo traffic per year, a figure expected to reach 900,000 tons in 2025. As for the rail network, it comprises 6,700 kilometers of railways and 820 stations. The world's second oldest national railways could very easily be linked to Libya and to Sudan, as well as to various other African countries. "Egypt has many assets to become a regional hub, just like Dubai," Eissa told Daily News Egypt. "Just in the Suez Canal region, between Port Said and Suez, we are trying to develop logistic-oriented projects." "Egypt offers lots of possibilities,” explained Marc Huybrechts, managing director at Canada NV, a Belgium firm specialized in freight forwarding and logistics consultancy. “You have skilled workers, and important trade center such as Port Said and Suez. Of course, like in Tunisia and in Libya, the economy was impacted by the revolution, but it will get on its feet again," he added. "Egypt has much more capabilities than Dubai. Look at our strategic location, our surface, and our communication tools. But we are still in need for organization and planning. The government should get more involved,” Khaled Ghoneim, international manager working for an Egyptian freight firm, said. “But let's speak about this matter when we have a real government," he joked. The conference's morning sessions were focused on "ensuring the safety of civil aviation," while the afternoon sessions were devoted to regional meetings. "The regional meetings are generally attended by 80 people from more than 60 different countries," explained Peter Maegerle, FIATA manager for the Africa and Middle East region. "Those cessions allow national federation and firms to discuss various issues regarding the freight forward sector in their country. It is also a networking tool for small and middle-sized firms who can't afford to travel all over the world to meet new partners," he added. "It is an opportunity for us to meet new clients, new companies which might not be able to come to see us in the United Arab Emirates," explained Nadia Abdel-Aziz, senior manager of the Dubai-based Union National Air, land and sea shipping. "My company attended more than 20 exhibitions this year; FIATA is a very important event for us since it gives us the opportunity to meet new members and international companies," explained Luzius Haftter, commercial director at the Global Project Logistics Network.
