Electronics Industry Committee develops a detailed plan to support, develop local manufacturing

The plan includes the manufacture of mobile phones, GPS, solar energy components, smart metres, and screens

The Electronics Industry Committee has developed a detailed plan—in terms of time and finances—for the manufacture of electronics and means to improve the industry, said Yasser Abdel Bari, a member of the committee.
Abdel Bari explained that the plan includes a three-year timeline and is based on promising industries, of which some already exist but require improvement, while others will be introduced to Egypt for the first time.
The Electronics Industry Committee was formed at the end of 2015. It includes several experts of the electronics industry, academics, and NGOs. The committee is headed by Hossam Osman and it works to develop and implement a strategy for local manufacturing of electronics, following the directives of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi issued in December during the Cairo ICT 2015.
According to Abdel Bari, there are five main industries that the committee is developing to lead the local electronics industry.
The first industry under development is for the manufacture of tablets, mobile phones, and GPS devices. Abdel Bari noted that Egypt has the potential to stimulate this industry, considering the local assembly of these devices that already exists though on a limited scale.
The second industry is LED bulbs, which has recently turned into a new electronic industry. The electronic components in LED bulbs account for 75% to 80% of the bulbs. The industry is very promising in Egypt, Abdel Bari said, highlighting the national project to rely on energy-saving light bulbs, in addition to the presence of local channels that can secure 70% to 80% of LED components.
Furthermore, Abdel Bari told Daily News Egypt that the third industry is the manufacture of screens, which is not limited to assembly. Transforming this industry would give rise to a broad base of feeding industries, according to Abdel Bari. Hence, the committee is discussing the industry with the ministries of finance, industry, and investment to pen rules and regulations that can govern the local manufacture of these products, as well as custom controls to encourage local production.
The fourth industry is for solar power generation instruments. Abdel Bari said he believes this industry would have huge investment opportunity, especially as the government is leaning to rely on alternative power sources as a national project, in addition to its plan to invest $3.5bn to $4bn over the coming period until 2020. The committee is working to create a foundation for manufacturing solar panels not only assembling them, in addition to transformers and controls.
The fifth and final industry set by the committee is the smart metres industry, which will enable electricity companies to control electricity consumption, collect data on consumption, and analyse them.
Abdel Bari said the committee is working to develop special programmes tailored to support and develop these five industries, noting that the committee has already put together a vision for each of them.
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has allocated EGP 361m within the 2016/2017 fiscal year budget to develop the electronics industry.