Nevine Gamea, Minister of Trade and Industry, stressed the ministry's keenness on bringing about a real deepening of Egyptian industry by reinforcing the capacities and capabilities of the productive sectors and providing them with the latest industrial technologies. This aims to increase the competitiveness of Egyptian products in the domestic and foreign markets. She noted that the efforts of the ministry provided 561 building and 5,191 operation licences, and granted 2,467 permanent industrial records and 856 fixed-term industrial records. The authority also conducted 4,276 studies aimed at deepening local industrialization and increasing Egyptian exports to foreign markets, including studies in the field of government tenders and custom reductions, identifying the needs of government agencies and developing exports. These efforts contributed to increasing dependence on local products and reducing import from abroad. The authority also issued 1,015 environmental approvals during the first half of this year and 107 customs release letters. It also conducted 218 technical studies of tender requests, which included 35 studies on lands and 183 studies on industrial complexes. It also conducted 2,861 technical inspections. Gamea added that the ministry is striving in coordination with the private sector to maximize the utilization of available manufacturing capabilities, and operate factories with their full production capacity to increase productivity rates and provide new jobs. This would achieve the objectives of the ministry's plan to deepen local manufacturing and replace imports with Egyptian-made products. Mohamed El-Zalat, head of IDA, said that with regard to the situation of the 17 industrial complexes that the authority is establishing during this phase, four industrial complexes have been allocated and operated in Sadat, Port Said, Badr and Margham 1. 277 units were allocated in the Sadat Complex, and 117 units were allocated in the Complex South of Raswa in Port Said, while all the units of the Badr complex were fully allocated, with a total of 87 units, and 233 units allocated in the Marghem 1 complex. El-Zalat added that with regard to the seven industrial complexes offered last October, with a total of 1,657 units, 181 units were allocated and delivered in Marghem 2 Complex in Alexandria, specialized in plastic industries, in addition to 62 units allocated in Hurghada Complex in the Red Sea governorate, specialized in the fields of food, engineering, chemical and building materials, decorative materials and textiles, and ready-made clothes, as well as 265 units which were allocated in Al-Mahalla Al-Kubra complex in Gharbia governorate, specialized in the fields of furniture, ready-made clothes, chemical and engineering industries. The head of IDA pointed out that 42 units were also allocated in Al-Baghdadi Complex in Luxor Governorate, which is specialized in the fields of food, engineering and chemical industries, decorative building materials, furniture and ready-made clothes. 48 units were allocated in the West Gerga complex in Sohag governorate, which is specialized in food, engineering and chemical industries. In addition, 137 units in the Bayad Al Arab complex in the Beni Suef governorate were allocated. The complex is specialized in the fields of engineering, food, chemical and metal industries. Moreover, the rest of the units in the seven complexes are being completed, and operating procedures are taken. Production will begin in the units that have already been allocated.
