Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly chaired the first meeting of the Industrial Development Ministerial Group on Monday, underscoring the government's commitment to enhancing the industrial sector in line with President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi's directives. Attendees included Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport Kamel Al-Wazir; Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad; Minister of State for Military Production Mohamed Salah El-Din; Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Essmat; Minister of Local Development Manal Awad; Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities Sherif El-Sherbiny; Minister of Public Enterprise Sector Mohamed El-Shimy; Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan El-Khatib; Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi; Chairperson of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) Waleid Gamal El-Dein; and Chairperson of the Arab Organization for Industrialization Mokhat Abdel Latif. Senior officials from various ministries and relevant authorities were also present. Madbouly highlighted the significance of the Ministerial Group, stating it aligns with the President's vision to prioritise industrial development. He reaffirmed the government's full support for the group's activities, which cover all aspects of industrial development, from licensing to operation, with a strong emphasis on execution and implementation. Prime Minister Madbouly tasked the group with closely monitoring all recently approved industrial projects to ensure timely implementation and operation. He clarified that any decisions made by the group requiring Cabinet approval would be presented during the government's weekly meetings. Deputy Prime Minister Al-Wazir presented an overview of the group's work plan, emphasising key objectives such as formulating and implementing the National Industrial Development Strategy and stimulating direct private investment in the industrial sector. He announced that the group would hold weekly meetings to ensure continuous progress. Al-Wazir also shared the outcomes of recent meetings with members of the Federation of Egyptian Industries, heads of industrial chambers, and investors, focusing on promoting the localisation of various industries and discussing plans for the upcoming phase. During the meeting, Al-Wazir discussed several topics, including the current procedures for licensing industrial establishments and proposals for developing these procedures in preparation for the launch of the Egypt Industrial Platform. He explained the implementation timeline, from land allocation to project completion, obtaining operating licences, and industrial registration. This streamlined process aims to facilitate the establishment of factories and accelerate production. He also provided an update on the status of industrial land across the country, detailing the entities responsible, the industrial developers, the allocated areas, the implementation and delivery status, and the number of industrial zones supervised by various authorities. The meeting concluded with a discussion among the ministers and officials on the group's work agenda and the topics raised during the session. They expressed confidence that the group would play a pivotal role in advancing the industrial sector and addressing its challenges.
