A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Sunday for the first phase of Chinese company Di Seta's garment accessories and ready-to-wear clothing project in the Qantara West Industrial Zone. The project, located within the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone), represents a $40m investment for its initial phase. The ceremony was attended by Waleid Gamal El-Din, Chairperson of the SCZone, and Akram Galal, Governor of Ismailia, alongside Jason Yao, Vice President of Di Seta, a member of parliament for the Qantara region, and other SCZone and Ismailia Governorate officials. The two-phase project will occupy a total area of 83,000 square meters and is expected to create 1,200 direct jobs. Operations are scheduled to begin in September of this year. Gamal El-Din stated that the SCZone is making steady progress in attracting investment in targeted industrial sectors. He emphasized the zone's commitment to diversifying investments across its four industrial areas in Sokhna, East Port Said, Qantara West, and East Ismailia. Each area focuses on specific industrial sectors based on geographic location and availability of raw materials. He noted that the SCZone has so far attracted 15 projects to the Qantara West Industrial Zone, covering a total area of approximately 1.031 million square meters, with investments reaching $490m. These projects are expected to generate over 20,000 direct jobs. Gamal El-Din added that the Di Seta project represents a new chapter in the successful partnership between the SCZone and Chinese investments in the promising Qantara West region. He cited the SCZone's promotional efforts over the past 30 months, infrastructure investments, and digitisation of investor services as contributing factors to creating a favourable investment climate. He stated that the SCZone aims to transform the Qantara West Industrial Zone into a hub for textiles and garment industries, in addition to other targeted sectors, to meet local market needs, provide products with international quality, and boost Egyptian exports in line with the country's plan.
